Dorks
by nignonymous
Summary: Beacon is filled with the best of the best, the cream of the crop, the upper echelon of Huntsman students. Team VNGR aren't there yet, but they're trying. And they'll have to get there fast as they deal with assassins, mad scientists, and the most difficult trial of all: going to school
1. War Party (V)

Branches snapped beneath his feet. Sunlight streamed through the trees onto the forest ground. The sounds of birds and other animals could be heard in the distance. The boy made his trek through the woods in silence. There was someone to see, and he meant to keep his appointment. As he walked, he didn't hear the forest anymore. That meant he was close. He saw a wall made of wood. Looking up he noticed a tattered flag with a black bear's head emblazoned on it.

_Good, this isn't the Branwen's territory, _he thought.

Standing near the gate was a large, burly man wielding a sword. He acted as a sentry to alert the camp of any intruders. As such, he needed to be dealt with first.

The boy walked up to the man and whistled. "Excuse me, is this the camp for the Titan Ursa?"

The man looked the boy up and down, unable to get a read on him. The boy's face was soft-featured and round, like a woman's. by contrast, his body was lean and muscular, the lack of a shirt highlighting the boy's physique. But what confused the man the most were the boy's tattoos. There was a spider on a web over his heart, an eight pointed star on his right shoulder, two teardrops under his left eye, and a crown and cross on his stomach. A couple of were the symbols of powerful bandit tribes, but having more than one of those on your body was a death sentence.

The man scowled. "Yeah. If you know what's good for you, you'll turn around and head home."

The boy put his hands together. "So, I am in the right place. That's good. I have some free time, so I decided to have a bit of fun."

"And what kind of fun would that be?"

The boy had a wide smile. "Killing you all."

The man laughed. "You're funny. Since you managed to make me laugh, if you walk away right now I won't kill you."

"I assure you it's no joke. I've taken this up as a hobby recently. I find some people who look strong, and I test them. I heard tales of your group and I wanted to see if they were true."

"You're insane, kid. Get out of here and stop wasting my time."

The boy's mouth curled into a grin. "Oh my, could it be that you're afraid? I'm sorry, I should have known that the Titan Ursa were all a bunch of cowards."

The guard swung his sword at the boy. The boy caught the blade in his hands, and in one motion wrenched it from the man's hands and drove the sword into his stomach. The man fell over clutching at the sword.

The boy sighed. "That wasn't nearly enough."

He stepped over the man's body and traveled deeper into the compound.

He soon found himself facing a row of bandits pointing guns at him. He grinned and ran forward. His heart pounded as he heard bullets whizzing past his head. He felt something nick his arms and legs. It hurt, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle.

He found the nearest shooter and buried his fingers in the gunman's wrist. He felt bones crunch and pried the gun free. The boy pressed the gun against the man's temple and pulled the trigger. He then emptied the magazine into the remaining shooters.

The boy let out a heavy sigh. "This is kinda boring."

He traveled deeper into the compound, slaying everyone that crossed his path. None of them presented a challenge. He was quickly growing discouraged. It didn't seem like any of the people here could give him what he wanted.

After more walking and more killing, he finally found the person he was looking for. It was the leader of the tribe, a burly man with grey hair. Multiple scars crossed his face. His tribe's insignia was tattooed on his stomach, and he had a large scimitar on his waist.

"You must be the boss," the boy said.

The older man glared at the boy. "I don't know what you're thinking raiding this place, but it'll be the last mistake you ever make."

The boy laughed. "I've made worse mistakes than this."

the man put a hand on his sword, waiting for the boy to move. The boy simply stood there, immobile. The man blinked, and when he opened his eyes the boy had disappeared. Something impacted the man's shoulder, and he felt an agonizing pain. He suddenly couldn't move his left arm. The muscles in his shoulder had been warped and rendered unusable.

The man drew his sword. "Don't know what you did, but I only need one arm for this."

The boy clapped. "Good. I hope you can put up more of a fight than the others."

In the next moment he dodged a sword that went speeding toward his head. The blade nicked his ear. The boy tried to close the distance, but the sword held him at bay. He approached, saw the sword closing in for the kill, and retreated.

_I guess he is stronger than the rest. this won't be easy._

The boy's smile grew wider and wider. He sprinted towards the man again, waiting for the right time to strike. But he was slightly off with his timing. He dodged at the last second to avoid losing his head, but the blade sliced through his cheek. The loose flesh hung onto his face as his blood dripped onto the ground.

The boy suppressed a scream. It hurt like nothing else. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been hurt this badly.

The swordsman sneered at the boy. "What's wrong? Never been in a real fight before?"

The man's grin slowly faded as he watched the boy's surging aura. The boy's body was engulfed in dark green energy. the man raised his sword but felt something crash into him like a rocket. The muscles in his chest warped and twisted. His ears filled with the sounds of his ribs breaking. He fell to the ground with a thud.

The boy stood over him. The energy around him faded away. He ran a hand over his face and mended his sliced cheek.

The boy sighed. "That was so lame. I thought you'd be better than that."

The man coughed. "why? What was the point of all this? You come in, kill all my men. What's in it for you?"

The boy shrugged. "I just wanted to have some fun before school starts."

The man stopped breathing. The boy stepped over his body and went to leave the camp.

"Wait, I forgot to ask how to get to Vale from here."


	2. Coward of the Year (N)

Even after living in Vale for years, Nigel still hated it. It was loud, busy, filled with people, and there weren't enough places to just get some peace and quiet. Now, he was hurrying through the city on an errand. He wanted to stay inside, but that wasn't allowed. They said he needed to learn to socialize before school started, so they sent him to pick something up from the grocers'.

He weaved around people, not sparing them a second look. As he was walking he passed an alleyway. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a woman being harassed by two men. It was a scene right out of those Mistrali cartoons his parents said he wasn't allowed to watch growing up. The woman was clearly in distress and trying to get away, but one of the men kept a tight grip on her wrist. For a brief moment Nigel made eye contact with the woman. Her eyes pleaded for help, but he turned away.

_It's not my problem,_ he thought.

He took a step forward, but heard the sound of someone being smacked. He turned and saw the woman holding her bruised cheek. One of the men held a knife to her throat. Tears streamed down her face.

Nigel's hands were covered in sweat. His breathing was ragged, and he could hear his heart pounding in his ears. He repeated himself over and over.

_It's not my problem. It's not my problem. It's not my problem._

With slow, heavy feet, he stepped into the alley. He walked up to the two men, trying and failing to keep himself from shaking.

"Excuse me," he squeaked.

One of the men looked at him. "Huh? What do you want?"

"w-well, I saw that you were harassing that girl, and I thought that you might have some deviant intentions toward her; like dragging her into that alley and raping her, possibly injecting her with drugs to turn her into your addicted sex slave. But I wanted to tell you that it's wrong and you shouldn't do it."

One of the men put his hands up. "What the hell? We're not trying to rape her, we're just trying to rob her."

"Oh," Nigel turned to walk away, "I guess that's okay."

"What about this is okay?" the woman shouted.

Nigel turned back around. "Oh yeah, sorry. Robbing is bad too."

"Who are you anyway?" one of the men asked.

Nigel sighed. He hated introducing himself. "my name is Nigel Arniano. I'm seventeen years old and I'm training to be a Hunter. I've been living in Vale for a while and I'm still not used to it. To be honest the people here are jerks. Not that I'm calling you guys jerks, though you are trying to rob this woman. I guess you could call that jerkish behavior."

The man holding the knife grew impatient and stabbed at Nigel. Nigel parried the attack with his left hand, and stepped forward attacking with his right. His fist crushed the man's face, and he fell to the ground in a bloody heap.

The woman looked at the man who had attacked her laying on the ground unmoving, blood pooling around his head. She ran from the alley screaming for help.

The other man scowled and grabbed the boy by the collar. The boy recoiled and felt a fist strike him in the stomach. He dropped to the ground and coughed. He tried to get his bearings but felt something strike him in the head. He spat blood onto the ground as spots filled his vision.

"Not so tough now, are you?" the man taunted. He kicked Nigel's head into the ground.

Nigel felt miserable. All he wanted to do was stay home and watch tv, but no, he just had to get involved in something that wasn't his problem.

"Yeah, you always were a bit of a dumbass," a girl's voice said.

Nigel groaned. His day had just gone from bad to worse. "What are you doing here?"

"I came here to laugh at you. Seeing you writhing on the ground always puts a smile on my face. That's what you get for trying to play hero, though it did work out better than last time."

"Do you have anything constructive to say or are you just gonna bully me?"

The man stepped back. He had no idea what was going on, but the boy had started babbling to himself.

"The hell is with you?" the man asked.

Nigel didn't hear anything but the girl. "Why are you doing this? Hasn't it been long enough?"

The girl's voice took on an angrier tone. "You know why. You think you're some great hero, but you failed where it counted most. I'll never let you forget that."

Nigel began to cry. "Stop, please."

"What's the matter? You don't like it when I remind you of what a failure you are?"

"Shut up!" Nigel shouted. Nigel's voice unleashed a wall of sound that shattered all of the windows on the street. The ground beneath him exploded, and the man that was attacking him had passed out, blood pouring out of his ears.

Nigel was breathing heavily. His ears were ringing. He dragged himself to his feet and went towards home.

He sniffled loudly. "I hate this city."


	3. Defender (G)

"I liked that bar girl. She was a real beauty. Or maybe that woman selling fruit, she had those wide hips, oh man."

Giallo talked to himself as he fought the pack of Grimm he had been sent to destroy. Four Beowulves slowly circled around him, their red eyes glowing with malevolence. He leaned back with his hand at his sides, waiting. One of the Grimm grew impatient and lunged at him. It swiped at him with its claw. Giallo's fist shot out like a rocket and collided with the Grimm's head. It was sent flying and skidded along the ground. When it came to a stop it began to dissolve.

"I really liked that blacksmith. Even though she only had one eye, she was really cute."

He brought his arms up as he weaved through a hail of claws and fangs. He cocked back his fist and slammed it into the nearest Grimm's chest. It fell to the ground and died. Two Grimm attacked at once. He attacked their arms mid swipe, sending their attacks off course. While the Grimm stumbled, he delivered swift punches to each of them. The first Grimm lost a large chunk of its upper body, while the other lost its head.

Giallo stood alone in the clearing. He yawned and turned to leave but stopped when he heard something behind him.

A tree creaked and fell to the ground with a crash. Lumbering into the clearing was a large Grimm with the body of a gorilla. Its bones protruded from its body like armor. Wisps of black smoke came off its body. It beat its chest and roared.

The ground beneath its feet were warped in its charge. It attacked with more speed than thought possible. Giallo was caught off guard by the massive fist crashing into his face.

XxX

Giallo waved goodbye to the priests as he left the monastery.

"Father Ignis, Father Luna, take care. Keep up your training, Father Luna."

"We wish you luck on your endeavors, Giallo," Father Ignis said.

Giallo traveled down the path, onto his new life.

Father Ignis sighed. "I fear that boy will lead a solitary existence. He will soon reach the apex of his strength, and the only one who truly understood him has already left this world. I can only hope that he can find one who can stand alongside him."

xXx

Giallo's eyes snapped open. He didn't realize he had lost consciousness. He couldn't help but smile. That was the first time in years someone had managed to knock him out.

He bounced along the ground, like a stone skipping over water. He skidded to a stop and took a moment to gather himself. He rose to his feet and brushed dirt out of his hair.

"Alright, I can't take you lightly."

He and the Grimm charged at each other. He got inside the beast's guard and punched it in the ribs. The Beringel slid backwards but wasn't harmed.

Giallo kept up the attack. He unleashed a barrage of blows, but the Grimm's muscles were like armor. He could feel a faint pain in his hands.

The Beringel powered through the blows and grabbed Giallo's arm. It lifted him off the ground and punched with all its might. Giallo's stomach felt like it was on fire, and his right arm was nearly torn out of the socket. The Grimm dropped him on the ground. Giallo rolled before another fist came crashing down. He couldn't feel his right arm. Undeterred, he brought up his left. He curled his fingers in one by one. He counted down in his head.

_5, 4, 3, 2, 1._

His aura gathered around his left hand. The Beringel charged at him. He punched with his glowing fist. There was an explosion, and when the smoke cleared the Beringel's upper body was gone.

Giallo sighed. "Never was good at using my left. If it was my right, I'd have only needed two fingers."

With a grunt he forced his shoulder back into the socket. He grimaced. "Not gonna be able to use that arm for a while."

After a short trek he was back in the village where his employers were located. The villagers looked on him with anticipation. The village's mayor walked up to him expectantly.

Giallo smiled at the older woman. "I took care of it."

A visible wave of relief went through the villagers. The mayor nodded and gave Giallo his payment.

"Thank you for helping us," she said.

"It was no problem, but is it okay if I stay for a few days? You know, to make sure nothing happens."

The mayor pulled Giallo into a tight hug, "Sweetheart, you can stay as long as you like."

Giallo smiled as his head was enveloped in the woman's chest.

_No question about it, she's my favorite._


	4. Club Donkey Ass (R)

Walking into the convenience store, Rock waved at the elderly woman working the counter.

"Hello, dear," the woman said.

"Hey grandma," Rock replied.

Rock looked through the store, gathering all the items that he came for.

"Forty ounce, jerky, gum, hey, where's the sour patch?" Rock shouted.

"Oh dear, i must have forgot to order some more," the old woman said.

Rock brought his items to the counter. "How much do I owe you?"

"No charge, son. you helped me out when I was robbed last week. consider this me returning the favor."

"No need to thank me for that, that's what you're paying for. If you want to thank anyone, thank my boss."

"I get the feeling you'd help me even if I didn't pay you. you're such a kind child."

"Is that right? I don't see it. well, see you around, grandma."

Rock took his items and left. he pulled a sheet of paper out of his pocket. "alright, next stop is..."

A few blocks from the store he found who he was looking for. It was a group of four men in an alleyway. they were smoking and drinking and laughing among themselves. two of them were wearing expensive looking chains. Rock wondered how they paid for ti.

"Wassup?" Rock said.

One of the men eyed the young boy . "The fuck you want?"

The atmosphere changed instantly. Hostility hung thick in the air. One of the men reached behind his back.

Rock pointed at the man in the back. "You pull that, there's no telling what'll happen. You guys were the ones who hit that liquor store on 18th street, right? Shot the clerk too from what I hear."

"So what if we did?" one of the men said.

Rock sighed. "Well, that store's protected. You know Junior, right? He owns that store, so it's like you were stealing from him. I happen to work for Junior. My job is finding people who steal from him and taking back his money. Which means, I need all you to empty your pockets for me."

The men broke out into laughter.

"Bitch, you best run along before something happens to you," one man threatened. The group of men got up close to Rock and surrounded him.

Rock's fist flashed out and collided with the nearest man's jaw. there was a sickening crunch, and the man's jaw was dangling out of its socket. the other three attacked at once. Rock pulled the liquor bottle out of his bag and smashed it over a man's head. The man screamed as glass shards pierced his eyes. Rock moved on to the next one, downing him with a kick to his knee. the man's leg popped out of the socket, and he fell to the ground screaming. the last man fell to the ground begging for mercy.

"Alright," rock said, " how do you want it?

"What?" the man said.

Rock shrugged. "I guess I choose for you."

He took hold of the man's right hand and bent back a finger until it broke. He did the same to every finger on the man's hand, the man screaming all the while.

Rock let the man go. "You run along now, and tell everyone that if they even think about hitting another store that Junior owns, they'll get it even worse."

The man ran off, clutching his destroyed hands.

After gathering the remaining men's' money and jewelry, Rock scratched another item off of his list. "Just a couple stops left."

XxX

Rock stood in the arena surrounded by cheering spectators. Well, it was kind of like an arena, it was an empty parking garage in Vale's business district. During the day it was filled with expensive cars owned by the city's richest citizens, but at night it was filled with lowlifes and scumbags looking for a cheap thrill. Rock of course was no exception. He was bouncing on his feet waiting for the fight to begin.

His opponent was a rugged looking man with a face covered in tattoos. He had a reputation on the streets for his strong strikes and skillful ground game. If he got his opponent into a tackle, then that was when the fight ended.

Another man wearing sunglasses and a striped shirt stood between the two fighters.

"I know you all wanna see some blood, so let's get it started. On the left we've got the master of the ground game, Nero. On the right, the young upstart who's left a trail of broken bodies all throughout Vale, Rock! Are you ready?"

Nero and Rock took their stances.

"Begin!"

Nero opened the fight with a flurry of punches. Rock weaved through the blows, avoiding them by a hair. His fist flew out and barely bruised the older man's nose. Rock grimaced and took a step back. He threw out another punch, but Nero ducked under it and landed a tackle. He took Rock to the ground and got him into a mount position. He pinned Rock's right arm and punched him hard in the face with his left.

Rock felt a burning pain in his face. He struck Nero in his ribs, but couldn't put enough power into his arm to do any real damage. He took a deep breath and bucked his hips as hard as he could. He shook the older man off of him and scrambled to his feet. His heavy breathing betrayed how exhausted he was.

Nero attacked again. Rock put his arms up to block, feeling a deep pain in his forearms.

"Attacking with the elbows? That's nasty, old man."

Nero peppered Rock with quick jabs. Rock fell back and rushed in when he thought it safe. He kept up this rhythm for as long as he could. Nero grew impatient and rushed in. He threw a haymaker punch that was easily countered. Rock delivered a heavy blow to the man's stomach. Nero held his stomach in pain. That was the opening Rock was looking for. Rock's fist glowed, and he swung it right into Nero's jaw. There was a crack, and Nero fell to the ground. His face was beginning to swell as blood poured out of his mouth.

Rock smirked. "Have fun in the hospital. You ever want a rematch, come and find me."

The audience erupted with applause. Rock went to collect his winnings from the referee. He stuffed the stack of money in his bag.

The ref clapped Rock on the back. "Nice job, son. You handled that fool like he was nothing."

"He wasn't," Rock replied.

"So how bout it? Wanna go for another round?"

Rock looked at his scroll. "Shit, I can't. Got somebody I need to see."

He ran out of the parking garage and made his way to his next destination.

XxX

A short train ride later and he was standing outside a night club. He could hear the pounding music from the street. He walked up to the door but was immediately stopped by a man wearing a suit and red sunglasses. The doorman looked Rock up and down.

"Buddy, I think you've got the wrong place."

Rock looked at his outfit of a hoodie and blue jeans. Obviously, he was under dressed for this establishment.

"Come on. I'm not here to party. I wanna talk to Junior."

"What do you want with the boss?"

"I have his money."

The man pulled out a scroll and began typing on it. After a minute he got a message and put his scroll away. He stepped aside and opened the door.

"He's at the bar."

Rock walked inside and was immediately assaulted by the music. It was loud and pulsed louder than his own heartbeat.

He saw Junior behind the bar. The absolute mountain of a man was happily serving customers drinks.

Rock took a seat at the bar and dumped a bloody sack of money on the counter. Junior took it and examined it. He let out a low whistle.

"Gotta admit, I didn't think you could pull it off."

Rock laughed. "How long have you known me? When I say I'll do something, I'll do it. You got what I asked for?"

Junior reached under the bar and pulled out a manila envelope.

"One set of Sanctum Academy transcripts. You were an average student. Not too bad, but not too good either. I doubt anyone would buy you as an honor student."

Rock took the envelope. "ha, ha. But seriously, thanks. I know you took a big risk taking me in, and I appreciate it."

"I'm gonna level with you; your mother is the only reason I even gave you a second look. But, you turned out to be a good worker."

Rock rolled his eyes. "What, you're gonna say I'm just like her?"

"No, kid, you're nothing like her and I hope it stays that way. Have a nice life."

Rock got up and slid the envelope under his shirt. He could barely contain his excitement. People like him rarely got a chance to start over. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and he had no intention of letting it go to waste.

He walked through the club door. As he left, someone else walked in. Their eyes met for a moment. He found himself captivated by her flowing blond hair and lilac eyes. But the moment was fleeting. She looked straight ahead and kept walking.

Rock began his long walk home. He wondered if he'd ever see that girl again.


	5. Da Introduction

Nigel stepped off the airship and took a look around at his new surroundings. He saw students dragging their luggage towards the school. He swallowed loudly and went to join them. Looking around he saw that people had already broken off into groups. Most of them looked like they had known each other for a long time. Nigel sighed. He had no chance of breaking into those groups. He prepared for another lonely experience.

He found a secluded area and settled down. He watched the people come and go. He saw two girls argue, which ended when they were engulfed in a fireball. He saw another student vomiting into a trash can. He saw all of the happy people going about their day without a care in the world. He felt a pang of envy. He had been trying for years but still couldn't be like them.

"Of course you can't. why did you ever think otherwise?"

Nigel sighed. "What do you want?" he asked his companion.

"Well I saw you sitting by yourself like a loser so I figured why not twist the knife a little. You can go as far away as you want, you'll always be the same. And if you ever forget who you are, I'll be there to remind you."

"Great. Might as well kill myself now."

"Hey, that's the first good idea you've had in years."

With that, the voice went silent. Nigel was puzzled by her words. That was the nicest she's been in years. Was she changing, or was he?

"I guess you're not used to so many people either," a different voice said.

Nigel turned and saw that someone had taken a seat next to him. It was a boy… maybe. It was hard to tell. They had long dark green hair. Something about their eyes worried him. They were flat and dull, like a doll's. Their face bore a friendly smile, but something about them made Nigel nervous.

"Yeah. Never been good at dealing with people," Nigel responded.

The person laughed. "Me neither. But you have to learn eventually. That's why I came here." They extended a hand. "My name is Lucia."

Nigel took their hand. It was far softer than he was expecting. For a moment he wondered if this person was in the wrong place. "Nigel. I guess we're friends now."

Lucia laughed with a strange sounding voice. "Your hands are like stone."

Nigel blushed slightly. "Thanks. I've been training for a long time. Um, your hands are really soft."

"Thank you. I take good care of them." Lucia looked into Nigel's eyes. Nigel felt a chill. Lucia's gaze was like being stared down by a snake.

Lucia got up and went to leave."I just realized that I have someone else I need to talk to. I'll be seeing you."

Nigel waved them goodbye. He hoped he'd meet them again. It'd be nice to have at least one friend while at Beacon. Although if he could choose he'd pick someone that didn't weird him out so much.

His scroll started buzzing. He looked and saw that his mother was calling him.

"Hello?"

"Hi. Did you make it to the school okay?"

Nigel sighed. "Yes, mom. You don't need to worry."

"Well why wouldn't I worry? I heard about your little incident in the city," she chided.

"I told you it was just a big misunderstanding."

"You know if Ozpin didn't stick up for you you'd be in jail right now. You be sure to thank him when you see him, you hear?"

"I will."

The line went quiet for a bit.

"Are you okay, Nigel?" she asked, her voice filled with worry.

"I'm doing better, honest."

"If you need anything, or if you just want to talk, call me."

"I will. Bye, mom."

"Goodbye Nigel."

Nigel hung up and walked into the school. It was time to begin the first day of the rest of his life.

XxX

Giallo sat on a bench watching students go by. He didn't see anyone that looked like his type. He sighed. He'd rather fall into the arms of a mature woman, but all he saw were girls his own age. A group of students suddenly started running. He looked over and saw what they were running from.

He stifled a laugh when he saw that it was a student vomiting into a garbage can.

_Poor guy. Must have motion sickness._

The student coughed and spat into the can. Wiping his mouth he grimaced and made his way toward the building. The other students kept a fair distance from him. Giallo noticed the boy's blond hair and blue eyes. Something about them looked familiar.

_Is that..? No way._

Perhaps he was overthinking it. He went back to observing the other students.

"Scoping out the girls, huh? I can see it all over your face. You gotta learn to be subtle, my dude."

Giallo nearly jumped. He'd never let someone sneak up on him before.

The student put his hands up. "Don't worry, I won't bite. My name's Rock."

Giallo relaxed slightly. He studied Rock closely. His relaxed posture and friendly smile gave the impression that he was an approachable person. However that contrasted with his ratty clothing. He had a dingy hoodie and faded jeans stained with what looked like dried blood. The cleanest thing on him was the grey beanie on his head. Then there was his shoulder length black hair and blood red eyes. Giallo had seen one other person who looked like that, and they were anything but friendly.

"Giallo. Was I being that obvious?"

Rock nodded. "Yeah, you were. It was kind of creepy to be honest." He grinned. "So, what's your type?"

"I like older women with big tits," Giallo answered without a moment's hesitation.

Rock broke out laughing and clapped Giallo on the back.

"You and me are gonna be best friends."

There was a loud boom that made the ground shake. The two boys looked over and saw two girls covered in blackened soot coughing out smoke.

Giallo snorted. "Everyone's making friends today."

Rock looked at his scroll. "I think we should head inside. The headmaster's supposed to be giving a speech."

The two of them went inside the school and followed the other students into the amphitheater. There was a raised stage in the front of the room with students milling about in front of it. After a few minutes of waiting the headmaster came out.

The headmaster was a slim, white haired man wearing glasses. He had a wizened look to him, like he wanted everyone to know that he had all the answers. He walked up to the microphone and addressed the prospective students.

"I would like to thank you all for coming here today. You all have come here because you saw an opportunity to better yourselves. However, this is merely the first step. From this moment forward begins your ongoing and never ending education. It will not be easy, and I make no guarantees that all of you will survive the experience. Your success depends entirely on your will. Those who lack conviction are doomed to failure."

The headmaster walked away, leaving the audience in silence.

"Cheerful guy, isn't he?" Rock said.

Giallo thought about what the headmaster had said. Will was everything. It was the difference between life and death for many. No one could say that he was lacking in it.

"I don't know, I thought it was brilliant."

XxX

Nigel knocked on the door to the headmaster's office. The door opened and he saw an older woman wearing glasses on.

Nigel waved at the woman. "Hello Miss Goodwitch. Is Professor Ozpin here?"

Glynda smiled. "Hello, Nigel. Do you need to speak to the headmaster?"

The boy nodded. Glynda motioned for him to come inside. Ozpin was sitting behind his desk sipping from a mug. Nigel stood in front of it, not looking directly at Ozpin. Ozpin looked at the boy with a smile.

"Greetings. Are you doing well?"

"No," Nigel answered bluntly. "You helped me out of a jam, and I just wanted to say thank you."

"It was nothing. In the future, you would do well to be mindful of where you use your semblance."

"I understand, sir."

"As long as you understand." He set down his mug and put his hands together. His face hardened into a more serious expression.

"In all seriousness, how are you doing, Nigel?"

"Better now," he replied.

"Do you still hear her voice?"

Nigel nodded. "Every day."

Ozpin sighed. "I see. I hope that we can find a solution during your time here."

Nigel scratched at the back of his neck. "It's not so bad now. Usually she just tells me to kill myself. It was way worse back then. Well, I guess you wouldn't know how bad it was at first. I mean it was awful. There were some days where she would just go on and on all day and night. I couldn't even sleep. And then sometimes she'd just pop up while I was talking to someone and then I'd have to talk to two people at once. But it's not that bad now."

Glynda grabbed Nigel's hand. He had scratched so hard he started bleeding. Glynda examined him with a frown.

"We get it."

Nigel yanked his hand free. "Sorry. I still have trouble with the whole rambling thing."

Ozpin sighed. "If you need anything, or if you just need to talk, my door is always open."

"Thank you, sir." Nigel turned and left the office.

Ozpin sighed and put his hands in his hair. "That is a troubled child."

"Do you still believe what happened is your fault?" Glynda asked.

"I put my trust in the wrong man, and that boy suffered because of it."

Glynda sighed. "You are far too harsh on yourself. No one could have predicted what that man was truly like. We all knew him for years. He fooled all of us."

"None of that changes anything. What happened is what happened. Still, if he is able to find a modicum of peace here, then perhaps one good thing could come of all of this."

XxX

The next morning was the day of the initiation. The students would be tested for whether or not they would be accepted as students.

Giallo walked into the locker room and grabbed his weapons out of his locker. He wrapped bandages around his hands and wrists, and then fitted his weapons. They were a pair of gloves made of hardened leather and studded with steel rivets.

Members of his religion were forbidden from using weapons, so they were forced to forge their bodies into weapons. Other members objected to Giallo's cestus, but he managed to convince them that it was more of an article of clothing than a weapon. In any case it didn't matter, he'd be stronger if he fought with his bare hands.

He felt a hand on his back.

"You excited?" Rock asked him.

"Yeah. Hope I get some good teammates."

Rock looked around at the students in the locker room. "All I want is a cute girl on my team. Last thing I want is to be on a team with all dudes."

"See anyone you like?"

Rock nodded. "That one." He pointed at a tall girl with a red ponytail. She was certainly pretty, her friendly smile and gold spear complimented her beauty.

"I think she's a bit out of your league."

"Hey, you never know."

Rock looked over and saw someone laying down on a bench near a row of lockers. He walked up to them and saw that they were snoring. He gently tapped them to wake them up.

The boy on the bench began to stir. "What do you want?"

"Were you sleeping in here?" Rock asked.

The boy yawned and stretched out. "Yeah."

"Why?"

"It's quiet in here," he said as he looked around. "At least it was. Is it time for the test already?"

He got up and walked out to join the other students.

"That kid has a couple screws loose," Giallo said.

He and Rock followed the trail of students towards the testing grounds. After a bit of walking they found themselves on the edge of a cliff overlooking a vast forest. One of the instructors guided them onto a series of grey platforms. Once all the students arrived, Ozpin detailed the rules of the test.

"Good morning to you all. We will now begin your initiation. The test is simple: you will be sent into the forest below to retrieve a Relic from a temple. The first person you make eye contact with will be your partner during your time at Beacon. Are there any questions?"

Giallo raised his hand. "How long do we have?"

Ozpin looked at his watch. "Let's say you have until sundown, about eight hours from now"

Another student raised their hand. "What happens if our partner dies?"

"Then you will simply find another one. Be warned however, failure to acquire a partner will result in you failing the test. If there are no more questions, we will begin."

Giallo raised an eyebrow. He opened his mouth to say something when the platform sprung up and flung him and all of the other students into the air. The wind whipped at his face and filled his ears. he looked around and saw other students falling. Some looked like they had a plan to land safely, while others flailed helplessly in the air. Giallo tucked his legs to his chest and summoned his aura. He closed his eyes and waited to hit the ground. His body crashed through a tree and skidded along the ground. He rose to his feet and shook bits of wood out of his hair. He looked around and didn't see anyone land near him.

He walked until he found a shady spot beneath an undamaged tree, laid down, and went to sleep.


	6. Mystery Fish

Nigel plummeted towards the ground. Despite how gripped with terror he was, he was laughing. He couldn't help himself. This was the most fun thing he'd done in years. Or it was until he crashed into the ground. The sound of his aura shattering filled his ears.

"Ow."

He laid there waiting to recover. As soon as he was able, he dragged himself to his feet.

Nigel walked through the forest for over an hour without finding another person. He called out for anyone, but didn't get a response. he resisted the urge to start crying. This was the worst idea he'd ever had. At this rate he would fail before he even got into Beacon.

"Nah, I can think of worse ideas you've had," his friend quipped.

"Now isn't the time," Nigel complained. He looked around, but still couldn't see anyone.

"Hello, is anyone out there? I'm lonely."

He heard a rustling sound nearby. Full of hope, he turned towards the sound. Out from the brush came an Ursa, its massive black body towering over him. Nigel's face fell.

The voice in his head broke into laughter. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go say hi."

The Ursa roared and charged at him. it swiped at him with its claws. Nigel stepped back and thrust his fist into its head. It cracked against the white mask covering its face. Nigel frowned. He wondered why he was even here. He was just going to screw this up like he screwed everything up. He would have been better off just staying in bed for the rest of his life.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by the Ursa closing the distance. It stood on its hind legs and swiped with its massive claws. Nigel's mind went blank. He thrust his hand into the Grimm's stomach, feeling his fingers pierce its body. The Grimm doubled over in pain. Nigel drove his elbow into its head, sending it crashing into the ground. He took a deep breath and drew his fist back. With a shout, he punched down with all his might and obliterated the Grimm's head.

He took a deep breath to calm himself down. He looked at his shaking right hand and sighed. He had been fighting for years, but he was still afraid.

"Alright, time to take some initiative. I'm going straight ahead, and I won't stop until I find a partner."

With newfound confidence, he walked into a thicket. Pushing past the branches he found himself in a clearing. In the center was a large group of Ursa. In the center of the group of giant bear Grimm was a much larger Grimm covered in spikes and plates of armor. Dozens of glowing red eyes looked at Nigel. this time he didn't try to keep himself from crying. Tears streamed down his face as the Grimm swarmed him to attack.

XxX

Rock couldn't believe what he had gotten himself into. He had heard tales of what the Academies put their students through, but he thought those were just stories. What would be the point of letting someone in if they died before their first class? But here he was, flying through the air, wondering how he was going to survive hitting the ground.

The question was answered for him when he slammed full force into a tree branch. His stomach burned as vomit poured from his mouth. He lacked the energy to move and stayed there for what felt like hours. Eventually, he fell to the ground. Staying there all day was out of the question, so he dragged himself to his feet and got moving.

Walking through the forest he could hear gunfire and other sounds of combat in the distance, but nothing was near him. He hadn't even found a Grimm while he was walking. Despite not finding anyone, he still felt eyes on him. the back of his neck wouldn't stop burning. He looked up into a nearby tree and saw a small glint of light. Looking closely, he could see a tiny camera hidden in a tree.

_Guess it makes sense that they'd be watching us. Still weirds me out._

He found a spot under a tree and sat down. There was no need to waste energy, with any luck someone would come to him.

After half an hour of waiting he heard someone step on a branch. He jumped up and prepared to fight. Instead, he wound up wishing it was a Grimm.

A boy about his age stumbled up to him, crying his eyes out. His straight, brown hair came down over his eyes, but from the tears still streaming down his face he'd been crying for a while. What stood out the most was the fact that he wasn't wearing any shoes. He looked far too weak to be a huntsman. Rock wanted to leave, but he couldn't just leave this person like this.

"Are you okay?" he asked

The boy shook his head.

"Well in that case I'll just leave you to it." Rock turned to leave but felt something pulling on him.

"Wait," the boy said, "You can't just leave me here."

"Why not?"

"We're supposed to be partners now. You have to stay with me."

Rock pushed the boys hand away. "Alright, I'll stick with you, but only if you stop crying."

The boy wiped the tears from his eyes.

Rock sighed. "Much better. What's your name?"

"I'm Nigel," the boy responded.

"My name's… Rock."

The two boys shook hands and began their long partnership.

The two traveled through the forest. Rock stole glances at his new companion trying to get a read on him. Nigel was balled up and jumpy. He was constantly looking over his shoulder, and sometimes he'd say something as if he was responding to someone that wasn't there.

In short, the boy was nuttier than trail mix. Rock was incredibly disappointed. Not only did he end up partners with another guy, this one was completely out of his mind. He doubted this kid would last long at Beacon.

"So how did you even end up here?" Rock asked.

"My parents enrolled me. I did well at Signal so it was a no-brainer. What about you?"

Rock scratched the back of his head. "I just handed in an application and that was that."

Nigel looked around. "I wonder where everyone else is?"

"Probably heading towards that temple or whatever. We're in for a lotta walking, I bet."

"It's nice, though. I can't remember the last time I had a nice, relaxing walk."

Rock coughed. "Relaxing?"

"Yeah. I mean other than getting launched off a cliff, and falling into a tree, and the Grimm, and the other Grimm There were a lot of Grimm Like, more than I've ever seen at once."

"Is that what you were crying about earlier?"

Nigel sighed. "There were twenty Ursa, including a Major. I can't help it, when I get nervous I start crying."

Rock stopped and stared at Nigel. "Wait, when you came through the bushes, what happened to the Grimm?"

"I killed them," Nigel answered. He saw the strange look Rock gave him and recoiled.

"What?"

"You took out twenty Ursa, including a Major, by yourself and didn't get so much as a scratch?"

"Is it that weird?"

Rock laughed. "A little."

They kept walking until they heard something crash into the ground. There were more sounds on top of that; footsteps, stone being destroyed, flesh striking flesh.

"Maybe we should check it out," Nigel said.

XxX

Lucia casually strolled through the forest whistling to himself. He hadn't found anyone yet, though he didn't look that hard. He had seen people passing off in the distance, but none of them looked like they were worth pursuing.

"It's been two hours already. I don't think I can afford to be so picky."

On the other hand, it might be better to have a weak partner. If they were strong, he might not be able to help himself.

As he walked he heard someone snoring. He thought he was hearing things at first, but he listened closer and realized that someone was definitely sleeping in the forest. Someone like that would have to be incredibly powerful or extremely stupid. Either way, they were bound to be interesting. He went towards the sound of the noise.

He found a boy sleeping under a tree. They were certainly handsome, with a muscular body and blonde hair with red streaks. His shirt was unbuttoned, giving Lucia a good view of his abs and chest.

Lucia kept his distance. Even while sleeping he could tell this boy was powerful. If he played his cards right he could have some fun.

"Enjoying your nap?" Lucia asked.

The boy's expression shifted. He yawned loudly and frowned.

"You don't sound like a girl."

"You're right, I'm not."

The boy rolled onto his side. "Then go away. I don't want to partner with any dudes."

"If you spend too much time sleeping, you'll fail the test."

"I don't need anyone looking out for me."

Lucia walked up to the boy and raised his foot over his head. The boy jumped away before Lucia's foot destroyed the ground. He glared at Lucia with his blue eyes.

Lucia put his hands together. "Look at that, we're partners now."

The boy put his fists up. "Not happening. You're about to drop out."

The boy ran towards Lucia and swung his fist up towards his head. Lucia dodged out the way and put his arms up as another fist shot towards him. The fist collided with his forearms like a hammer. Lucia's arms ached. If that punch had hit his face, it would have knocked him out. He smiled widely. He thrust his palm at the boy's chest. the boy dodged and countered with a hook to Lucia's stomach. The wind was knocked out of him. he grinned as he felt the pain course through his body.

Lucia laughed. "You're pretty good."

The boy unleashed a flurry of punches. Lucia narrowly dodged each strike. It was like dodging raindrops. The attacks slowed down. The boy ran out of breath and took a step back. Lucia stepped forward and struck. He suddenly found himself looking at the sky. The boy's fist slammed into his chin. Lucia couldn't put any strength into his legs. He tried to stand up but fell over. His vision became blurry and unfocused. The boy stood over him and raised his fist. Before he could deliver the finishing blow two more people arrived. One of them Lucia recognized.

"Nigel. I see you've found a partner."

Nigel ran to Lucia. "What's going on?"

Lucia chuckled. "Nothing, just getting to know my new partner. I see four of us, so I guess we're a team now."

Lucia got up and stretched out. "Aren't you going to introduce your friend?"

"Oh, right. This is Rock. We met in the woods earlier."

Rock looked at the other boy. "I know you."

Giallo sighed. "Whatever. I guess this is my loss. We've got a whole team, might as well finish the test now."

The four walked on in silence. Nigel looked nervous as his eyes went to his teammates.

"Maybe we should take this time to introduce ourselves. I'm Nigel."

"Rock"

"Lucia"

"Giallo."

Nigel let out a sigh. "Why did I even bother?"

"I think I see the temple," Rock said. They saw a stone altar in the distance. They could see a series of raised stone platforms with chess pieces on them.

"Those must be the relics," Rock observed.

They heard screaming and trees crashing into the ground. A massive Deathstalker tore through the trees as it chased two students. The two led the Grimm towards the altar, and it was frozen in a large block of ice. And then two more people showed up, one of them riding on an Ursa. And then a giant Nevermore attacked.

"You think we can find a different Altar?" Rock asked.

Nigel stepped forward. "We need to help them."

Giallo stopped him. "They can handle themselves. Let's wait, if it looks like it'll go sideways, then we'll help."

The Nevermore attacked the students waiting at the temple. It took the combined efforts of eight students, but the Grimm was destroyed. The students claimed their relics and made their way back to the school.

The four boys went to the altar. It was badly damaged from all of the fighting, and most of the relics were gone. They found one piece, a white king. Giallo took it and put it in his pocket.

"Alright, now we just need to head back."

The four turned to leave when an ear piercing screech rang through the air. A second Nevermore, even larger than the one the other students killed, suddenly appeared.

"Are you fucking serious?" Rock said.

"I don't suppose any of you have a gun?" Giallo asked.

The others shook their head. The Nevermore screeched and fired its massive feathers at the boys. Nigel batted them away with his fists while the other three ran for cover. The Grimm swooped down and opened its beak wide. Nigel's eyes went wide as the Grimm grabbed him. he felt the heavy, sharp beak pressing down on him. It felt like he was about to be torn in half. The giant bird flew back into the air as Nigel screamed. His screaming was so loud it sent waves along the ground. The other boys clamped their hands over their ears.

"Man, that's loud," Giallo shouted.

"He has a pair of lungs on him," Lucia said.

"That's nice, but how are we gonna get him down?"

"Stand behind me," Rock said. He took a hand off of his ear and pointed it like a gun at the Nevermore. Blood dripped from his ear. There was a high pitched whine, and in the next moment the Nevermore exploded. Burning pieces of flesh fell to the ground, along with Nigel. He landed with a thud, then hastily put out the flames on his gi.

Exhausted, he fell against the ground. "I hate this place."

Giallo ran towards Nigel and helped him to his feet.

"You're really loud, you know that?"

Nigel coughed. "Sorry. That happens when I get scared."

Lucia got close to Rock. "That was impressive. I might have to reevaluate my opinion on you."

Rock pushed Lucia away. "We can do that later. Let's get back to the school before the sun goes down."

XxX

Once they were back in the amphitheater they listened to the headmaster assign teams. None of them were paying attention until some names stood out to them.

"Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos. You have retrieved the white rook. From this day forward, you will fight together as Team JNPR, led by Jaune Arc."

Pyrrha happily punched Jaune on the shoulder, knocking him to the floor.

Lucia had a lecherous grin on his face. "Check out the blonde."

"That guy's really weak," Rock said.

Nigel bit his fingernails. "Pyrrha Nikos? Like, the Invincible Girl? What's she doing at Beacon?"

Giallo frowned. His hunch was correct.

_So that was Jaune. Maybe I should say hello later. Nah, he probably doesn't even remember me._

Ozpin addressed the next group of students

"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Yang Xiao Long, Blake Belladonna, you all have retrieved the white knight. From this day forward, you shall fight together as Team RWBY, led by Ruby Rose."

Rock whistled. "Check out that blonde."

Giallo shrugged. "I've seen bigger."

Rock poked Nigel in his side. "Which one's your type?"

Nigel squeaked in shock. "Well, if I had to choose, maybe… wait, why are we even talking about this?"

The four of them made their way to the stage. Ozpin smiled at them as he addressed them.

"Lucia Verde, Giallo Fiamma, Nigel Arniano, Rock, you all have retrieved the white king. From this day forward, you shall fight together as Team VNGR, led by Giallo."

The auditorium filled with applause. Everyone looked happy except for Rock.

"Can't believe I'm stuck on a team with all guys for four years. This is some bullshit."

Nigel raised his hand. "Is our team name really 'vinegar'? You couldn't think of anything else?"

The students in the audience started laughing.

Ozpin let out a small chuckle. "I'm sorry, but that is the name you were given. Now then, if there are no other complaints, let us move on."

Ozpin called the last group to the stage. It was a group of girls, each one looking like they had just fought in a war. Their clothes were torn and stained with blood, their faces were covered with bruises, and they were clearly exhausted.

Despite their appearance, Ozpin kept that same inviting smile on his face.

"Lotus Chahna, Iris Star, Lala Lamb, Yasmin. You all have gathered the black pawn. From this day forward, you shall be known as Team LILY, led by Lotus Chahna."

Ozpin looked out into the crowd. "Congratulations, all of you are now officially students of Beacon Academy. I look forward to working with you all. Make sure you are well rested, classes begin first thing tomorrow morning."

XxX

Minutes later, the newly christened Team VNGR were getting settled in their dorm. Nigel unpacked his things, but noticed that he was the only one who brought a suitcase.

"None of you guys brought anything with you?"

Rock shrugged. "I came with what I could fit in my pocket."

"I've never had a need for material goods," Lucia said.

Giallo was already in bed snoring.

"Our dear leader has the right idea. I'm exhausted," Rock said.

"Tomorrow morning we'll be Huntsmen students. I'm so excited," Nigel said.

Lucia yawned. "I am as well. I've never been to school before."

"Oh yeah, I never got to ask, why'd you come to Beacon, Lucia?"

Lucia laid back on his bed. "Would you believe me if I told you I wanted to find a friend?"


	7. Pain

The next morning Team VNGR woke up and prepared to head to their first class.

Giallo tapped his foot impatiently as he waited outside the bathroom.

"Seriously, how long does one guy need?"

"Shut up," Rock shouted, "I'll be out in a minute."

"That's what you said ten minutes ago."

Rock threw the bathroom door open and walked out in his boxers. He pulled out his uniform and started getting dressed.

"I don't know what you're riding me for. We've still got half an hour before class starts."

"I don't want to be late on my first day."

In another part of the room, Nigel looked at himself in the mirror. Everything looked normal. He hadn't remembered the last time he had to wear a suit. He looked over at Lucia. His suit hung loose and wrinkled off of him. He had given up trying to fix his tie and let it hang loose around his neck.

Nigel sighed and fixed Lucia's clothes. "Come on, don't you know how to wear a suit?"

"I never had the need."

Lucia suppressed a laugh as he watched Nigel fix his tie. Nigel grinned when he finished making his teammate presentable.

"There, all done."

"Thank you," Lucia said.

Giallo went to the door. "Let's get going."

Rock rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, keep your shirt on."

The four of them went to their first class. They were among the last ones to arrive, as the room was already filled with students. Nigel listened to the room buzzing with conversation and felt his stomach sink.

"Something wrong?" Lucia asked.

Nigel rapidly shook his head. "No, I just remembered I forgot something in the room. I'll be right back."

Nigel ran back down the hall. The other went inside the classroom and took their seats. Once the bell rang their teacher began the lesson.

Their teacher was a round old man wearing a red suit. His white hair and mustache gave off the air of a wizened old man.

"Hello, and welcome to your first day at Beacon Academy. My name is Professor Port, and I will be teaching basic combat tactics." He looked around the room and saw a few empty seats. "Hmm, it seems that there are a few of you missing. How unfortunate. It isn't wise to get into the habit of missing class."

He began his lecture, very little of which had anything to do with the class. Often he would spiral off into a tangent about some battle he was involved in or the exploits of teams that used to attend Beacon. After nearly an hour of talking the professor remembered that he was supposed to be teaching a lesson.

He walked over to a cage covered in a tarp. The cage rattled when he got near and the students heard growling.

"Now then, there is no better teacher than experience. I would like one of you to volunteer for a practical assessment.

He pulled the tarp off and revealed a Beowulf. It bit into the iron bars of the cage and swiped at the air with its claws.

Port laughed at the enraged monster. "It seems it's just as excited to fight. Do I have any volunteers?"

Giallo raised his hand. Port nodded with approval and beckoned him to the floor. Giallo didn't bother changing out of his uniform before fighting.

Port turned towards the class. "Now, who can tell me the most effective strategy of fighting a Beowulf?"

A female student raised their hand. "Avoiding their claws. They have a long reach, but are less dangerous when you get close."

"Very good, Miss Chana. A Beowulf's swiping claws are quite dangerous, but if they aren't able to rotate their arms fully then their effectiveness is greatly diminished." he turned toward Giallo. "Mr Fiamma, are you ready to begin?"

Giallo nodded. Port opened the cage and the Grimm lumbered out. It stood up on its hind legs and swiped at Giallo with its massive claws. Giallo stepped aside and the Grimm's claw slammed into the ground. The Grimm lumbered forward and attacked again. Its nails grazed Giallo's stomach, causing him to wince in pain. The Grimm stood up on its hind legs and slashed at Giallo. The white claws sped toward his neck. Giallo dashed under the Grimm's attack and punched it hard in the stomach. There was a sound like a gun going off and the Grimm was sent flying into a far off wall. The impact left a crater, and the Grimm left a trail of black blood as it slid down to the floor.

Giallo sighed. He had ruined his uniform. Not only was his shirt covered in claw marks, but his sleeve was destroyed by that punch. Giallo went back to his seat without a word.

Professor Port clapped. "Well done Mr. Fiamma." At that moment the bell rang, signaling the end of class.

"I'm afraid that's all the time we have today. I look forward to seeing you all again tomorrow."

the students filed out of the classroom.

"Wonder where Nigel went?" Giallo asked.

"Who cares?" Rock replied. "I don't know if you've noticed, but that kid is out of his mind."

"All the more reason we should be worried about him."

XxX

Nigel walked back down the hallway. The bell ringing told him that class had started. He sighed and stopped walking. The last thing he wanted to do was be the last one in the room. He turned the corner and sat down in a stairwell. He put his head down in his arms.

"What am I doing?" he asked himself.

"Well right now you're in the running for world's biggest asshole," his friend replied.

"Why won't you leave me alone?" he pleaded.

The voice laughed. "Because you'd have no one to talk to without me."

"Go away. I need to think."

"Alright, I'll leave for now, but you know where to find me."

Nigel sighed. He wanted to change his life, but he was making the same mistakes as before. How was he any different from how he used to be?

He looked to his side and saw someone sitting next to him. It was a girl. Her long, messy green hair looked like his own, but she had brilliantly green eyes, like gems. Nigel squirmed. The girl had a vacant expression, but he felt like she was looking right through him.

"You have sad eyes," she said.

Nigel went red and looked away from her. "I get that a lot."

the girl leaned in close. "Why are you here, little lamb?"

Nigel's face broke out in a sweat. "It was too loud in the classroom. I don't like noise."

"So you prefer solitude. I understand, I too prefer silence."

Nigel looked down at his hands. He couldn't remember the last time he talked to a girl. It didn't help that she was so pretty.

The girl smiled. "Thank you. You're quite handsome yourself."

Nigel's mind raced with questions. Who was this girl? Why was she talking to him? Was he hallucinating again? Did he smell bad? Was his hair messed up? Does she think he's weird? What are her hopes and dreams? He tried to speak, but no words came out.

The girl started laughing. "You are interesting. I've never met someone like you before."

"There you are, Lala. I've been looking all over for you," a new voice said.

Nigel looked up and saw a new girl standing at the bottom of the stairs. She was just as pretty as Lala, had a completely different look. Her shoulder length hair was white near the top of her head, but was pink near the ends. She wore a black peaked cap on her head emblazoned with a symbol that looked like a gear. Then there were her eyes. They were completely white, like she was blind. The intense glare she gave Lala dispelled those notions, however. Nigel felt needles all over him, and he wasn't even the target.

Lala smiled and waved. "Hello, Yasmin. Have you come to retrieve me?"

The girl called Yasmin grabbed Lala by the hand. "What have I told you about running off?"

Lala gestured towards Nigel "I was just talking to this boy."

Yasmin's eyes went to Nigel. She lingered on him for several seconds before looking back at Lala. "You're supposed to be in class. I told you to stick with me,"

"I wasn't gone that long."

Yasmin sighed. "That's not the point. I was worried about you."

Lala frowned. She wrapped Yasmin up in a tight hug. "I know. I'm sorry. Let us return to class."

The two girls left the stairwell.

Lala waved goodbye. "I hope we see each other again, Nigel."

Nigel waved them off. "Me too." After they left he paused and thought about what she said. "Wait, did I ever tell her my name?"

He leaned back and stared at the ceiling. His mind was filled with that girl. Something about her felt familiar. It reminded him of his friend.

"No way," his friend interjected, "That girl is nuts."

"She was nice," Nigel said.

"Of course you think so, you're as crazy as she is."

"I'm not crazy."

"Boy, if you're not crazy then how am I talking to you?"

The bell rang before he could answer that question. Nigel stood up and stretched out. He exited the stairwell and went to rejoin his team. He found them walking down the hall and slipped into the group. Rock turned and saw him walking alongside them.

"Where were you?" he asked.

"I was hiding in the stairwell," Nigel replied.

Rock shook his head. "I shouldn't have asked."

"Don't make a habit of skipping out," Giallo said.

Nigel sighed. "Sorry, won't do it again."

True to his word, Nigel stuck around through the rest of the day. He didn't see that girl he met again, but he didn't mind. There would be another chance to see her again. Besides, at the end of the day was the one class he had actually been looking forward to.

The students went into the locker room and changed into their combat attire. Once they had finished they made their way to the amphitheater. Standing on the stage was the headmaster's assistant. She had a stern look as she addressed the students.

"Welcome to sparring practice. I am Glynda Goodwitch and I will be supervising your matches. It is absolutely vital that you get used to combat. Your career as a huntsman will be fraught with it. How you learn and apply your knowledge in battle will mean the difference between life and death."

she held up her scroll and a screen descended from the ceiling. A series of pictures flashed by, images of every student in the room.

"If you are selected, then you will come to the stage and fight your selected opponent. We will operate under tournament rules: the fight will continue until one fighter loses consciousness or reaches an unsafe aura level."

she pressed a button on her scroll and randomly selected two combatants. The room was thick with anticipation. Every student wanted to be the first to show everyone their skills.

"Our first match will be Blake Belladonna versus Nigel Arniano."

Nigel swallowed loudly. He looked over at his opponent. It was a girl with long black hair and amber eyes. She had an aloof air about herself. His eyes were drawn to the bow on her head. He felt it clashed with her image, but he also thought it was kind of cute.

Nigel and Blake faced each other on the stage. Nigel found it difficult to look directly at Blake. He took a stance, but couldn't keep his hands from shaking. He tried to smile but it came out like a panicked grimace. Blake raised an eyebrow at him.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Glynda sighed and called for the match to begin. Blake drew her swords and dashed towards Nigel. She swung her long blade at his neck. His hand flashed out and grabbed her wrist as he kicked a foot out from under her. Blake fell onto her back and gazed wide eyed as a fist sped toward her face. It stopped short of hitting her. The force of the punch was enough to blow her hair back. Nigel pulled his fist back and returned to his stance.

Blake jumped up and ran at her opponent. She thrust her sword at Nigel and was brushed aside. As she spun her large rectangular blade approached even faster than the last attack. Nigel simply blocked the attack with his forearm. His foot slammed into Blake's upper thigh with a loud smack. Blake gasped. She was caught off guard by how heavy the the kick was. The monitor showed her aura trickling down after taking that attack.

Rock could only stare wide eyed. "That's just basic karate, but it's like, really good."

"A regular kick did that much damage?" Giallo observed.

"It seems there's more to him than meets the eye," Lucia said, smiling.

While Blake was reeling with pain, Nigel struck her on the chin with the heel of his hand. She lost her balance and fell to her knees. Nigel's foot flashed toward her head, but again his attack stopped short.

"What's his deal?" Rock asked. "That would have been a knock out blow."

"Maybe he's being a gentleman," Lucia said.

Blake scrambled to her feet. She ground her teeth in frustration.

"What is your problem? Are you making fun of me?"

"I agree," Glynda said. "You have had ample opportunities to end the fight. Why won't you?"

Nigel scratched at the back of his head. "Nothing like that. It's just that, you know, you're really pretty and I'd feel bad if I messed up your face."

There were a few seconds of total silence. Nigel's expression shifted into one of sheer horror as he realized what he just said. The theater filled with laughter. Nigel's face turned red as he covered it with his hands.

Blake ground her teeth in anger. She dashed forward and swung her swords high and low at Nigel. Nigel blocked one blade with his arm and the other with his leg. His eyes went to the one blade, and he saw what looked like the barrel of a gun pointed right at him. He fell back right before the gun fired directly into his face. Scrambling to his feet, he waited for Blake to attack again. Blake was more than happy to oblige, swinging her swords rapidly. Nigel blocked and parried all of the strikes that came at him, but made no move to attack. He simply waited for the right moment.

Blake swung her both of her swords simultaneously. Nigel thrust his hand through the gap in her arms, but instead of a fist he had his thumb pressed against his middle finger. With a snap of his fingers, he unleashed a sound like a flash-bang. Several students winced in pain and covered their ears. He didn't know it, but he had dealt Blake a critical strike. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fell face first into the ground.

Once her ears stopped ringing Glynda called the match. "This fight is over. The winner is Nigel Arniano. Aura can protect you from damage, but not from pain. And although his methods were unorthodox, using words to throw off your opponent is a viable strategy in true combat. However, in a true battle showing mercy to an enemy may cost you your life."

"Sorry," Nigel said. He jumped off the stage and went back to the locker room. When he rejoined his teammates they nudged and prodded him.

"That was just mean," Rock said, shaking his head.

"I wasn't doing it on purpose. Sometimes I just say things without thinking," Nigel said.

All around them other students were looking at Nigel and laughing to themselves. Nigel sighed. He hated this place. He wondered why he even came here.

Glynda cleared her throat and called for the next match. "Now then, our next match will be Rock versus Lie Ren."

Rock started smiling. "Cool. It's my time to shine."

"Good luck," Nigel said.

Rock went up to the stage. Ren stood on the opposite end. Rock tried to get an idea of what the boy was like. His face was expressionless, and he didn't so much as twitch as he stood before him. It was like staring at a body of water; still, undisturbed.

Rock sighed, people like this tended to be difficult to get along with.

"Lemme ask you something. What kind of girl do you like?"

Ren's eyebrow raised. "I'm sorry?"

"I just wanna shoot the shit with you. So, what's your type? You strike me as an ass man. Me, I like girls with nice legs."

Ren answered without having to think about it. "Her physical appearance doesn't matter. As long as she's an upstanding person with a kind heart , that is all that I need."

a soft "aww" came from the audience.

Rock sighed and shook his head. "Yeah, like I thought, you're boring. I don't think we can be friends. Might as well get this over with."

He slowly walked up to Ren and stuck his hand out with a smile. Ren looked down at Rock's outstretched hand and back up at Rock. Hesitantly, he went for the handshake. At that moment, Rock's fist flew up towards Ren's face. Ren caught the punch in his hand. He let go, and in the next instant slammed into Rock's chest with both hands. The blow sent him flying across the stage and greatly depleted his aura.

Rock hopped back up like it was nothing. "You're pretty sharp."

Rock rushed at Ren. He swung with a right hook but missed by a mile. Ren hit Rock on the side on of the head with the back of his fist. He followed that up with a kick square in the center of his face. Rock stumbled, but didn't fall.

Ren frowned. He swung his fist again, this time landing square in Rock's face. At the same time, Rock countered with a punch to Ren's jaw. While his opponent was reeling, Rock grabbed Ren's neck with both hands and sent a knee up into his chest. Rock went for the finisher, but slumped over as bile spilled from his mouth. Ren had buried his fist in Rock's stomach. A pale pink light engulfed Ren's fist and a wave of energy passed through Rock's body. The back of Rock's shirt was destroyed as a gust of wind blew across the stage. Rock fell to the ground, his aura depleted.

"The winner is Lie Ren," Glynda announced. "Rock has a sturdy body, but proper application of aura can overcome the hardest defenses."

Rock slowly rose to his feet and clutched at his chest. "Man, that hurt. You're pretty good."

Ren sighed as his hands throbbed. He didn't know what Rock was made of, but it was like punching steel. If the fight had gone on any longer, he didn't know if he could have won.

Rock tore off what remained of his shirt and went to rejoin his team. He took a seat and put his feet up. His stomach ached and he winced in pain. He looked down and saw a large purplish bruise.

Giallo whistled. "That kid packs a punch. A little more and he would have gone right through you."

"Are you okay?" Nigel asked.

"I'll be fine," Rock said. "I've been hit harder than that. Definitely keeping an eye on that Ren kid."

Lucia could barely contain himself. "There are so many wonderful people here. I can't wait to try them out for myself."

The four hunters relaxed and watched the remaining fights.

XxX

After classes ended most of the students went back to their dorms. Team VNGR decided to head to the gym for more training. Giallo went to a weight bench and grabbed two fifty pound weights. He tucked them under his arms and went toward the exit.

"What are those for?" Lucia asked.

"I need them for my training," Giallo replied. "Actually, I need another person for this. Wanna come with me?"

Lucia shrugged. "I've got nothing better to do."

the two of them went down the hall and into the school's swimming pool. It was massive, like the ones used for sporting events. It was also deep enough for Giallo to use. He pulled out some rope and tied the weights together. He used another rope to tie the weights to his ankles. He took a deep breath and dropped the weights into the deepest end of the pool.

Once he sunk to the bottom he began his routine. He punched, ducked, dodged, and punched again. He repeated this process for several minutes. The water dragged on his fists, his heart was pounding hard enough to burst, and his muscles screamed in agony.

Underwater shadowboxing was a training method devised by an old follower of the Lord of Light. The goal was to increase one's stamina and speed. Giallo had first started this routine when he was eight years old. Since then he'd been able to keep this up for seven minutes. Once he had reached his limit, he summoned his aura and swam back up to the surface. He clung to the edge of the pool and exhaled. He panted, out of breath as Lucia looked down at him.

"That's quite the training method. How often do you do this?"

Giallo wiped the pool water out of his eyes. "Anywhere I can."

"This is quite dangerous. What if something were to go wrong?"

"Then the Lord has chosen to call me home. Besides, I never do this alone. I used to do this with someone else."

"Really? You don't seem like one to have many friends."

Giallo shook his head. "You're right about that. It was my... never mind." His voice trailed off. He took another deep breath and fell back into the pool.

XxX

Nigel had his own corner of the gym set aside for training. He had set up a wooden post wrapped in a thick rope. It was used to strengthen his hands. The first time he had used this he wound up with three broken fingers and completely lost the skin on his knuckles. He punched the post, and felt the stinging pain run through his hands. Perfect. As long as he focused on that he didn't need to think about anything else. He punched at the post over, and over, and over, until his hands started bleeding. He smiled. The pain meant that he was seeing results.

This was the very first lesson he was given when he decided to learn karate. Three hundred punches a day, every single day. He never failed to complete them. Even when his hands were broken, or his fingers were shredded. No matter how injured he was in body or mind, he always made sure this was done.

Rock looked at Nigel training. Blood flew every which way, staining the ground and the post. He was certain that this wasn't sanitary. This boy was going to be his partner for the next four years, but he didn't know the first thing about him. Before that, how would he even talk to him? He looked at this boy, his hands covered in blood, his face wracked with pain, and the biggest smile on his face. He lived in a totally different world from him.

But, they were partners, and he intended to get to know the boy.

He walked up to Nigel, careful to avoid getting any blood on him. "So, do this often?"

Nigel kept punching the rope. "Every day since I was a kid. It helps to clear my head."

rock winced as he saw Nigel's fist slam into the post. "Doesn't that hurt?"

"Like you wouldn't believe, but it's not so bad. You get used it after a while. I've done this for hours before."

Rock recalled the first time he had seen Nigel's hands. The scars and callouses were clearly the result of this training. Could this even be called training? It seemed more like self-harm.

"That explains why your hands are so messed up. You've got such a soft face, though."

Nigel blushed. "Thanks, I think. What about you, what do you do for training?"

Rock shrugged. "I don't really train. I just go out and fight people. If I win, cool. If not, then I learned something."

Nigel stopped punching and sat down. He reached into his bag and pulled out a rag and a bottle of disinfectant. Soaking the rag in alcohol, he took a deep breath and wrapped it around his hands. His jaw tightened, but he didn't make a sound. Rock went pale. The pain must be unimaginable, but Nigel didn't show any reaction.

Rock had a feeling getting closer to Nigel would be harder than he thought.


	8. The Morning

Giallo would never forget the day his life changed forever. He was in his bed sleeping when his mother burst into his room. Her long black hair was wild and unkempt, and her eyes were wide with shock. She grabbed him by his arm and dragged him outside.

"What is it, mama?" he asked her.

His mother stared up at the sky, still dark as the sun had yet to rise. "As I slept, the Lord sent me a vision. The world had been consumed by chaos. Many will die, the kingdoms will fall, and the world will be left on the edge of destruction. Beyond that I saw only darkness. However, this is a blessing. Our Lord has told me of this future so to better prepare. Ordinarily, you would not begin your training for several years. However, if this vision is destined to occur, then we have no time to waste. Your training begins now."

She knelt down and gently kissed Giallo on the forehead. In that moment Giallo felt a bolt of energy course through his entire body. He looked at his hands and saw that they were glowing with a faint golden light. He panicked and tried to shake it off.

"Do not be afraid," his mother said. "This is the light of your soul that the lord has bestowed upon you. I will teach you to hone it. Now, let us begin."

His mother stood and raised her fists. Giallo did the same. That was the day he set out on his path as a warrior. He was five years old.

XxX

Giallo rose from his bed and went outside. His scroll told him that it was five in the morning. Feeling the cool air on his body, he began his morning ritual. He summoned his aura and prayed silently. He thanked his Lord for his powerful body, and for the skills that allowed him to save countless lives over the years. He was truly grateful for the gifts that he was given.

Then he began his morning routine. A brief run, some basic exercises, and some rounds of shadowboxing. Once he was done he collapsed onto the ground. He closed his eyes and listened to the sound of the wind blowing. His quiet was interrupted by the sounds of footsteps on the grass.

"I had no idea you liked to get up so early," Lucia said.

Lucia laid down on the grass next to Giallo. His fingers traced a line down his arm and onto his chest. "You're in really good shape, aren't you?"

Giallo grabbed Lucia's hand and pulled it away. "What do you want? Why are you even up this early?"

"How could I sleep knowing my precious leader is out there all alone?" Lucia said, every word lathered in fake concern.

Giallo rolled his eyes. "Spare me the sarcasm."

Lucia gave an exaggerated display of hurt. "Your callous disregard for my feelings cuts deep."

"Seriously, what do you want?"

"I just wanted to spend some time with you. To be honest, you fascinate me. I have never met someone like you before."

"Yeah? Well, I've met plenty of guys like you. They don't tend to last very long."

"I assure you, I'll last as long as you need me to." Lucia stood up. "I want to get to know you better. How about we spar for a bit?"

Giallo got up and brushed the grass off his body. "You mean finish what we started in the forest? I'm down."

Lucia lunged at Giallo. Giallo turned to the side as Lucia's hand grazed his chest. It began to throb with pain. Giallo tried to understand Lucia's attacks, but couldn't find an answer.

Lucia thrust his hand out again. Giallo tried to see what kind of attack it was, but his entire arm was a blur. The attack missed again. Lucia spun and kicked Giallo in the ribs. Giallo groaned in pain. He looked down and saw that the ground beneath Lucia's feet was warped in a spiral pattern. That gave him an idea of how his attacks worked, but he had yet to find an answer.

Lucia attacked again. This time, Giallo dodged and sent a hook up into Lucia's stomach. Lucia slumped over spewing bile everywhere, but he never stopped smiling. Lucia's strikes grew even sharper. Giallo found it difficult to avoid the rapid attacks. Giallo rushed forward and stood nose to nose with Lucia. His fist flew upwards towards the boy's chin. Lucia swayed backwards and slammed his palm into Giallo's stomach. Giallo's midsection burned. It felt like someone had stirred up his intestines. Lucia had dug his fingers into Giallo's stomach and was twisting his hand with all his might.

"Rotations," Giallo said.

Lucia started laughing. "Very good. Most people die before they ever figure it out."

Giallo ignored the searing pain and curled the little finger on his right hand.

_5 _

Giallo sent a blindingly fast punch that Lucia was only able to block at the last moment. He threw his arms up as the fist crashed into him. It felt like getting hit by a bus. He was lifted off his feet and went flying into a tree. Lucia stood up and tried to get back into his stance. His right arm hung limp at his side, a stark white bone sticking out of his forearm. Pain coursed through his body. He started laughing. He hadn't felt like this in a long time. He wanted to keep going, but the two of them were interrupted by a new arrival.

Glynda stood watching the two students with a stern expression. Her foot tapped the ground impatiently.

"I believe that's enough," she said. "Mr Verde, go to the infirmary this instant."

"Yes ma'am," Lucia said. He smiled at Giallo as he left for the school building.

Glynda turned toward Giallo. "And you, Mr Fiamma. Fighting outside the designated areas is strictly forbidden. If you do it again, that will be detention. Do you understand? On top of that, you seriously injured your teammate. You need to think about the effect your actions have on others."

Giallo turned red and looked down at the ground. He couldn't remember the last time someone had scolded him like this. It was embarrassing, but part of him felt happy.

"I'm sorry, Miss Goodwitch," he said.

"As long as you understand. You're a Beacon student now, I suggest you act like it."

"I will."

Glynda nodded in approval. "Good. I feel compelled to ask, what made you decide to attend Beacon? From what I understand, members of your order often choose not attend the academies."

"That's true, but there's nothing in the doctrine that says I can't. I wanted to broaden my horizons. There are some things that I can only learn in a place like this."

"There is much you can learn here, I assure you. If we are done, it's time to prepare for class. Do not be late."

"Yes ma'am."

XxX

Lucia couldn't stop laughing as the nurse wound bandages around his arm. Laying on a bed staring up at the ceiling, his heart was still pounding. His hunch was right, Giallo was exactly what he was looking for. Even though Giallo was holding back he still broke Lucia's arm with one punch, tearing right through his aura in the process.

"Please hold still," the nurse pleaded.

"Forgive me, I'm just a little excited," Lucia replied.

The nurse finished her treatment and wiped the sweat off her forehead.

"Honestly, how do you manage to get into a fight this early in the morning?"

Lucia sighed wistfully, recalling a fond memory. "It was only some friendly sparring."

"Some light sparring got you a broken arm?"

"These things happen. It's a good thing that we have such a capable nurse to tend to our injuries."

"Please, enough flattery." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small pill bottle. "Do you need something for the pain?"

Lucia waved her off. "I'll be fine. Thank you for treating me."

Lucia left the nurse's office. His mind raced with all kinds of plans to get Giallo to fight him again. He stopped walking when he saw the headmaster standing in the hallway. He smiled at Lucia.

"A moment of your time, Mr Verde?"

The two of them walked down the hall observing the students and staff passing by. The school was hectic even before class began.

"Is there something you need of me?" Lucia asked.

"I heard about your excursion last month," Ozpin said.

Lucia sighed. "Please don't tell me you're going to lecture me about that. The Titan Ursa were a bunch of killers and rapists. You should be thanking me for getting rid of them."

"I'm not upset. I understand you have certain... inclinations, but as long as you do not harm civilians or your fellow students then it doesn't matter. However, were I you I would not go about flaunting my presence. As I recall, there are many who would be less than pleased to learn that you are still alive, and I doubt you would want to go back to living on the run."

Lucia nodded. "I understand. By the way, I must thank you for allowing me into this school."

"There's no need for thanks. I just wanted to have you close by. You'll be easier to manage that way. And if you find yourself in need of an opponent, you can always come and see me."

Ozpin's friendly smile never faltered for a second, but for a brief moment Lucia felt a small pang of fear. He had known Ozpin for years, but never once was he able to gauge his actual power. The man was like the ocean, endlessly vast and deep. The further he ventured the greater the danger.

Ozpin clapped Lucia on the back. "Now then, I believe it is time for your first class. Try to be on time, Mr Verde."

XxX

Giallo and Lucia arrived at class at the same time. When they arrived, Nigel and Rock were waiting by the door. Rock grumbled with annoyance wile Nigel bit his fingernails.

"Where were you guys?" Rock asked.

"Out for my morning exercise. Guess I lost track of time," Giallo replied.

Rock rolled his eyes and went to find a seat.

Nigel looked at the bandage on Lucia's arm. "What happened to you?"

Lucia chuckled softly. "You're worried about me? How sweet. Don't worry, I had a small mishap while I was training, but I'm fine now."

Nigel seemed to accept that answer and went into the classroom. Giallo and Lucia followed behind him.

Inside they found their professor standing in front of a large board covered in writings and symbols.

The professor was a gaunt, frail looking old man. His white, wispy hair went down to his shoulders. He was slouched over, using a cane to support himself. Looking at him it was obvious that he led a life of constant battle. His left eye was gone, covered up with scarred tissue. His right leg was gone below the knee, a wooden peg in its place. His arms were covered in scars from blades and bullets, and there was a large mark on his neck that looked as though he was bitten by a large animal.

He addressed the class in a tired monotone voice. "Welcome to another exciting lesson with Professor Alder. I know you're all just bristling with anticipation to learn something today."

The room was dead silent.

"Please, contain your enthusiasm. I know most of you went over this in your primary school, but it's time for a refresher course on Aura. Who can tell me the three basic forms of Aura?"

He scanned the room and pointed at a student with their hand raised.

"Barrier, Restore, and Enhance," a student answered.

The elderly teacher coughed. "Correct, Miss Scarletina. Aura can be manifested in many different ways, but all of them can be derived from the three basic forms. Barrier means to uses one's aura to form a protective shield around the body."

To illustrate his point, he summoned his aura. A field of dark blue energy covered his body.

"Now then, could one of you come down to the floor for a demonstration?"

A student went down to the floor and stood in front of the professor. The teacher grabbed a gun off his desk and tossed it to the student.

"Shoot me," the elderly teacher said. The student shrugged and aimed the gun at the teacher. The gun fired, and the bulled struck the teacher square in the head. He fell to the ground and didn't move. The student grew nervous and hastily put the gun on the desk. The professor jumped back up and groaned. The bullet was on the ground, completely flattened.

"There are two downsides to using Barrier. The first is that it doesn't protect against pain, the second is that a powerful enough attack can tear right through it, which brings me to my next point. Enhance is the practice of reinforcing an object with your aura. I'm sure most of you have become more than proficient at using it to reinforce your weapons, but there may come a time when you will be forced to improvise. In that case, you will find that anything that you can fit in your hand can become a weapon."

He tore a page out of a book on his desk. It limply hung in his hand until he infused it with his aura. It suddenly became rigid like steel. He tossed it across the room and embedded it in a stone wall.

"Additionally, there is the practice of Enhancing one's own body. If you get to be as old as I am, you'll find that you lack the strength to do certain things. This is where your training will truly be tested."

He took a deep breath and in an instant his aura surged from every point on his body. His muscles expanded, and he suddenly had the physique of a much younger man. The floor cracked beneath his feet as the room trembled. Several students ran for the door in terror. The teacher released his power and deflated like a balloon.

"Finally, there's Restore. This is used to heal minor to moderate injuries."

The professor pulled a knife from his pocket and cut himself on his forearm. He summoned his aura again and the wound closed, leaving only a small line of blood.

"We will go further in depth on the topic as the year progresses, but it's always good to brush up on the basics."

The rest of the lesson continued from there. The teacher interspersed his lecture with various anecdotes about his career as a Hunter. Unlike Professor Port, Adler's stories didn't branch off into wild tangents that had nothing to do with the lesson. He talked about the various times he had applied what he had learned in the field. Many of the students turned green as he told them about the time he killed a man by stabbing him to death with a pen.

"And on that day, with my hands covered in blood and brain matter, I learned that the pen was indeed mightier than the sword," he said. The bell rang, signaling the end of class. "I'm afraid that's all the time we have today. Do remember what we talked about, there will be a test on the subject."

The students left the classroom. There was a faint buzz of conversation as the students talked among themselves about what they had just learned.

XxX

later in the day, it was time for lunch. Team VNGR grabbed their food and looked around for an open table. They found one near the back of the mess hall and sat down.

"So, it's been a few days, what do you guys think of Beacon?" Giallo asked.

"I like it here," Rock replied. "No way I can go back to busting up faces in back alleys."

"The teachers are really nice," Nigel said.

"I've found all kinds of wonderful people," Lucia said.

As the four of them were eating, their meal was interrupted by four people suddenly arriving. Giallo looked up from his food and saw Jaune smiling at him. His teammates varied from friendly to apprehensive.

"Hey," Jaune said.

"Can I help you?" Giallo asked.

"You don't remember me? It's me, Jaune Arc."

"You know this guy?" Rock asked

Giallo nodded. "When we were kids. I went on a pilgrimage with my mom when she got sick. Jaune's mom let us stay with her for a couple weeks. I'm surprised you remember that, Jaune."

Jaune laughed. "We had a lot of fun together, and my mom and yours got on like gangbusters. How's your mom doing by the way?"

"She's dead," Giallo answered bluntly.

Jaune looked down at the table. "Oh. I'm sorry."

Giallo waved dismissively. "Don't be. It was a couple years after I left your place. She'd been sick for a long time, we both knew it was coming. That aside, you gonna introduce your team?"

Jaune perked up instantly. "Right. These are Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora. I think your friend has already met Ren."

"Sup," Rock said.

Ren bowed his head slightly.

Nigel bit his fingernails. "You're really Pyrrha."

Pyrrha nodded. "I really am."

Nigel whimpered. "You're really strong."

"I get that a lot."

"Wondering how you'd stack up against her?" Rock asked.

Nigel shook his head. "No way. She's way too good. I'd just be humiliating myself."

Nora snorted with laughter. "Don't sell yourself short. Blake's pretty strong too, but you handled her like she was nothing."

Nigel sighed. "You make it sound like I was trying to embarrass her."

"Well, you did," Giallo said.

Rock suddenly grew a mischievous grin. "Speaking of, Nigel, what's your opinion on Team RWBY?"

Nigel put a hand on his chin. "Well, Ruby's really cute, she reminds me of a little sister character in those Mistrali cartoons. Blake is so cool and mysterious, she looks like she's always deep in thought. I think it makes her look mature. And Yang, she's loud, explosive, exciting, and she has huge-." He saw the way the others were looking and stopped. "What?"

he turned around and saw Team RWBY standing behind him. Ruby was stifling a laugh, while Blake looked at Nigel like he was something stuck to the bottom of her shoe. Yang planted a hand on Nigel's shoulder.

"Go ahead, finish that thought."

Nigel went pale. "Um, I was going to say that you have a huge... personality."

"Good job," Yang said, lightly smacking him on the back of the head.

"Hey guys," Jaune said.

The four girls sat at the table as well. In the next moment there was a cacophony of jumbled voices.

Occasionally, Yang would steal glances at Rock, her brow furrowed. Eventually Rock noticed. He coughed into his hand.

"Is there something on my face?" he asked.

"Nah, I swear I've seen you somewhere before."

"I don't have a unique face. Maybe you're confusing me for someone else."

Yang looked deep in thought. After a moment, a plume of smoke billowed from the top of her head. "Aah, never mind." Her eyes went to Nigel. "So, Romeo, tell me a little about yourself."

Nigel shivered slightly. "Actually, we were in the same class at Signal."

Yang blinked. "Really? I think I'd remember you."

"I was in the back of the class and I never really talked to anyone, but it's true. Even back then you stood out. I remember one day this kid pulled on your hair and you broke both his arms."

"Oh my god you really were in my class. Wait, that was years ago, how do you remember that?"

"I remember everything."

there was an awkward silence.

"Anyway," Ruby said, "why did you decide to become a Hunter?"

Nigel took a drink from his glass. "I had to."

Ruby's eyes lit up. "I know exactly how you feel. I've read so many amazing stories about Hunters and I just knew that that's what I wanted to do. Who's your favorite?"

Nigel's face darkened. "I hate Hunters. They're a bunch of tyrants lording their power over everyone else. Food, homes, peoples' lives, they take whatever they want because they know no one can stop them. The image the Academies sell us, the glamour, the prestige, the romance, it's all a lie. The real Hunters are devils. The world would be better off without them."

Nigel's glass shattered in his hand, spilling water onto the table. He wasn't at all fazed by the bits of glass sticking out of his hand. He sighed and left the table.

"Cheerful guy, isn't he?" Rock said.

XxX

After class had ended Rock found Nigel training in the gym. He was punching a large sandbag hanging from a chain. Each punch sent the bag flying away. Rock looked closer and saw that there were holes in it. Nigel raised his arm and chopped down at the bag, splitting it in two. Sand spilled all over the ground as puffs of smoke rose from the tattered leather.

"Hey," Rock said.

"What do you want?" Nigel asked.

"What happened at lunch, what was all that about?"

"It's a long story. I don't want to bore you."

"Give me the short version then. What's your beef with Hunters?"

After cleaning up the spilled sand Nigel left the gym and motioned for Rock to follow. The two went to the front of the school building. Once they were alone they sat down on a bench.

Nigel was quiet for several minutes before he spoke.

"Do you know what 'sword testing' is?"

Rock shook his head. "Never heard of it."

"It's a term that Hunters came up with, as a joke. When they discover a new technique or get a new weapon, they find something, or someone, to try it out on. You know, to make sure it works properly."

Rock felt a faint sense of unease. "Where are you going with this?"

Nigel ground his teeth together. "One day I was walking home from gathering food in the woods. On the way, I passed this man. I could tell he was a Hunter just by looking at him. We passed each other, and I felt this pain like I got stabbed."

He pulled down his shirt and showed Rock a circular scar on his chest. Judging from where it was seated, whatever had struck him would have pierced his lung.

"It was his finger. I was six. If that attack didn't unlock my aura I would have died. I almost lost everything in the blink of an eye, and all because someone wanted to test his strength."

Rock looked up at the sky. "That's heavy, man. I can see why you're so messed up."

"Do you really have to put it like that?"

"Sorry, not one to mince words. Look, you've been through a lot, but nothing good can come from keeping it all inside. You've got a whole team behind you, you've got the teachers, and you've got me."

Rock scratched at the back of his head and grumbled. "I'm trying to think of how to say this. Look, I can't pretend I understand what you've been through, but we're partners. If something's wrong, you can talk to me. But more than that, I want the two of us to be friends."

A small smile appeared on Nigel's face. "I'd like that too. As long as we're baring our souls to each other, how about you tell me something about yourself."

"Like what?"

"Well, why did you come to Beacon?"

"I'm looking for someone, but I need to get stronger before I can find them. Besides, if I get a Hunter license I'll be able to access Remnant's bounty list. That way I'll definitely be able to find them."

"Who are you looking for?" Nigel asked.

Rock's red eyes glowed malevolently. "My mother. I'm gonna find her, and when I do I'll put her in the ground where she belongs."

Nigel blinked. "Wow."

Rock sighed. "Sorry, I brought the mood down. I'm heading back to the room. Don't stay out too late."

Nigel waved goodbye and stared up at the sky.

"It's not nice to lie to your friends, Nigel," Nigel's friend said.

"I didn't lie," Nigel responded.

"Oh really? I couldn't help but notice that my name didn't come up at all during your little spiel. I feel hurt."

Nigel gripped the bench and felt the wood crack beneath his fingers. "He doesn't need to know all that. No one does."

"Is it because it's too gruesome for this audience? Or is it because you don't want anyone to know that you let your only friend die because you were too much of a coward to fight?"


	9. Weakling

Nigel took his stance and inhaled. He waited until he heard a blade slice through the air. He parried and struck the training robot with his fist, destroying its head. Three more took its place and attacked in unison. Nigel effortlessly parried a barrage of metal fists. He thrust his hand through the chest of the nearest robot. He tore his hand free and kicked it away. He kicked down at another robot and broke its leg. He raised his own and buried his heel in the fallen machine's head. He suppressed a smirk hearing the crunch of metal underfoot. The last robot drew a rifle and opened fire.

Nigel inhaled sharply and everything seemed to slow down. He could see the bullets flying toward him. He diverted their path with his hand and they sailed into a far wall behind him. The rifle's click told him the gun was empty. Nigel chopped at the robot's neck, severing its head. With a shout, he roundhouse kicked the head off, sending it flying and crashing into a wall in a pile of scrap.

Nigel looked around at the scattered parts and sighed. This wasn't what he was looking for. He took out his scroll and adjusted the difficulty of the training robots. He moved the slider to the maximum threat level, ignoring the warning that popped up. Five more robots walked up to him, all brandishing rifles. Nigel's face broke out into a smile. He waited for the right moment. The room exploded in gunfire. Nigel leapt over the speeding bullets and landed in front of the group. He grabbed the nearest rifle and crushed the barrel in his grip. His elbow crashed into the chest plate of the nearest robot and sent it flying. The other robots dropped their guns and pulled out their swords. Two blades came speeding towards him. He turned to his side and kicked his attacker in the midsection, tearing it in half. He ran up to the next one and grabbed it by the neck. His knee flew upwards into its chest and dented the metal. He crushed its head with an elbow and let the machine fall to the ground.

The last robot stood and stared at Nigel. After assessing the threat, it picked up a sword from one of its fallen comrades. The two blades flew in every direction, getting faster with each swing. Nigel turned and dodged with ease, letting the blade tips brush up against his skin. But eventually, the machine reached its limits. There was only a certain number of moves it was programmed to do. With enough time, Nigel saw all of them, and was able to counter them. The two blades soared toward him in a cross pattern. Nigel saw the gap in the attack and struck with his hand. His fingers tore through the metal in the head. The machine crumpled and fell to the ground.

Nigel sighed. He had managed to work up a sweat, but it wasn't nearly enough. This wasn't any way to test his skill. He needed to fight something that could actually think.

He put that out of his mind for the moment and went to the showers. He closed his eyes and felt the scalding water wash over him. To him, there was nothing more relaxing than a hot shower after training. It was one of the only ways he even could relax. It was like peeling off dead skin, all the things that were tying him down were washed away.

Nigel spent so much time enjoying his shower that he didn't realize that he was going to be late. After checking the time he hurriedly got dressed and ran from the locker room. Today was another class with Professor Alder, and he didn't want to be late. He rounded the corner and crashed into another student. The student yelped in surprise as they fell to the ground.

"Oh man, I'm sorry. Are you okay?" Nigel asked. He extended a hand to help them up. It was then that Nigel noticed that the student was a girl. Their brown hair went down to their waist, and they had a pair of rabbit ears on the top of her head. She opened her eyes and they were the same shade of brown as her hair.

"Wow," Nigel said. He couldn't help but stare at the girl. She squirmed beneath his gaze. Nigel quickly turned away.

"Sorry about that. Are you okay?" Nigel asked.

The girl nodded. "It's fine, it was an accident. I've been hit harder than that anyway."

Nigel laughed. "Yeah, I'd imagine."

The two of them stood in awkward silence. Nigel scratched at the back of his head. He drew a blank whenever he tried to think of something to say.

The girl seemed to think it was just as awkward.

"So, are you on your way to class too?" she asked.

"Yeah," Nigel answered. "Actually, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna be late."

"Well that's no good. You should always try to be on time."

"Yeah."

The awkward silence returned with a vengeance. The two stood there in silence, until the girl turned around with a slightly panicked expression.

"No, really, it's fine. You don't have to worry," the girl said.

Nigel wondered who the girl was talking to. For a brief moment he thought that she was the same as him, but then he heard footsteps. He saw three people approaching the two of them.

The one in front was another girl with brown hair. However, this one wore a beret and dark sunglasses. There were two boys behind her. The first was a dark skinned boy with red hair and eyes that reminded Nigel of Yasmin. The one in the back was a massive man who walked with a calm stride.

Nigel's brow furrowed. All three were incredibly powerful, and their animosity was pointed directly at him.

The girl in front stepped up to Nigel. "You got some kind of problem?"

Nigel scratched at the back of his head. "Not with your friend, no, but I guess if you were asking a general question then the answer would be yes. Though doesn't everyone?"

The rabbit eared girl got in between them. "It's fine, Coco. He wasn't bothering me."

"Are these your friends?" Nigel asked.

"Yes. These are my teammates Coco, Fox, and Yatsuhashi. We're Team CFVY."

"That's cool. I'm Nigel, part of Team VNGR. It's nice to meet you."

Fox suppressed a laugh. "Vinegar? Man, you really drew the short straw."

Yatsuhashi nudged Fox in the side. "Don't be rude. This boy doesn't mean any harm. We should show him the same courtesy."

"I don't know," Coco said, eyeing him suspiciously. "Something about this guy seems off."

"I get that a lot," Nigel said. He looked at his scroll and felt his eyes bulge out. "Oh crap, I'm gonna be late."

Nigel ran down the hallway. As he was leaving, Fox's eyes narrowed.

"Is something wrong?" Yatsu asked.

Fox shook his head. "No, thought I saw something."

XxX

After sprinting full speed to the hangar Nigel boarded a ship bound for the Forever Fall forest. It was one of Beacon's designated training grounds. The forest leaves were a reddish brown all year round, hence the name. Nigel was so taken in by the sights he failed to notice his team leaving him behind. They had gone to join the rest of their class for today's lesson.

The students crowded around Professor Alder. He looked as weary as he always did, but he delivered his lecture all the same.

"Hello class. I hope you're all doing well. Today we are going to test your tracking skills."

"What kind of test is it?" a student asked.

"We are going to play Hide and Seek," Alder replied.

The students stood in silence. Part of them hoped that the professor had misspoke.

"What's 'Hide and Seek;?" Lucia asked.

"It's a game played among children. One of them will hide and their friends will attempt to find them. It is quite fun, though it has been some time since I played myself," the professor answered plainly.

"What does that have to do with this class?" Rock asked.

"It's simple; in your hunter career you may be tasked with more than just destroying Grimm. There will come a time where you will be forced to hunt down another human. The ability to find someone who does not wish to be found is indispensable. To that end, I will hide somewhere deep within the forest. After ten minutes, you all will attempt to find me. The first students to do so will receive full marks for this assignment. You have until the end of class."

The class stood there looking confused. Ignoring them, Professor Alder turned and sprinted into the forest. The ground ruptured beneath him, and in seconds he disappeared.

It took several seconds for the students to process what had just happened. In their minds, Professor Alder had simply taken a leisurely stroll through the forest.

Once the ten minutes were up, the students began searching for their teacher. The forest was large, and no one had even a hint of his whereabouts.

Team VNGR began their search, but after several minutes none of the students were any closer to finding their teacher.

"This place is huge. How are we supposed to find him?" Giallo said.

"Beats me. How about we just wait for another group to get close, then cut in front of them?" Rock said.

"Would that even work? What if they find him first?"

Giallo sighed. "The least he could have done was give us a hint or something."

Nigel pounded his fist. "Oh, I get it now." He tried to feel a specific presence among dozens and dozens of others. It was like groping around in the dark.

"He's nowhere near here. I can sense some of the other students, and some Grimm, but not the professor. I can feel something off in this direction. It's faint, but it's really strong. Let's go towards it."

Nigel's aura faded and he sighed. He waited for the others to travel in the direction he pointed and followed behind them.

"What was that back there?" Rock asked.

"Well, the book called it 'Scan'. It's like when you use your aura to detect someone's presence, but over a wider area. It's really useful, but it leaves you vulnerable while you're doing it."

Rock stared unblinkingly at Nigel.

Nigel blushed slightly. "I read ahead in the book."

They continued their search, stopping every now and then to scan the area. Every time they thought they were getting closer to the professor, they would get attacked by Grimm and his presence would vanish. This process repeated several times, much to the frustration of the students.

"This sucks," Nigel said as he pulled his fist out of a Beowulf's skull.

"I suppose this is part of the test," Lucia said, tearing an Ursa's jaw apart with his bare hands.

"The easiest way is the way that causes the most trouble. That sounds about right," Giallo said.

Nigel fell to the ground. "At this rate we'll never find him. We're gonna fail."

"How about a Hail Mary?" Rock asked. "One last shot, bigger than all the others, and whatever happens, happens."

Giallo pondered it for a moment. "That actually sounds like a good idea, but it's dangerous. There's no telling what kind of Grimm are in this forest. If you guys want to try it, then let's do it."

"I'm in," Rock said.

"I would very much like to know what happens next," Lucia said.

Nigel nodded and summoned his aura again. He could feel nearly all of the students and Grimm in the forest. Something stuck out to him. He focused on it and saw that it was a human.

"I found the professor. Wow, his aura is huge. He's not moving, I think we can find him this time." He started to frown. "Wait, there's something else, something big. Oh crap, I think it knows I can see it. It's coming straight for us."

Nigel fell to the ground, exhausted. Off in the distance a tree fell and crashed to the ground. Loud, heavy feet stomped toward them. A large, black hand parted a branch to reveal a large bull like Grimm. It stood as tall as the trees, with a white bull head and glowing red eyes. Its upper body was humanoid, rippled with muscles like corded steel. Its lower half consisted of bovine legs that ended in black hooves. It held a large axe made of bone in its right hand that protruded from its wrist. It roared and gripped its axe tight. It swung its weapon and leveled several trees in one strike.

"How spirited," Lucia said, smirking. He jumped up to attack. The Grimm intercepted him, and in the next instant Lucia was struck on his side by a massive fist. He was sent flying into a tree and went limp.

Giallo shook his head. The large axe came speeding towards him. His fist flashed out and crashed into the axe. The blade cracked and broke apart. However, that only served to enrage the Grimm. Its body swelled and began to glow red. It punched down at the ground and the ground exploded. Giallo jumped up and punched the Grimm in the stomach. He left a dent in the Grimm's body, but wasn't able to kill it. The Grimm's body was like steel. The Grimm threw Giallo into the ground. Giallo felt his mouth fill with blood. He tried to get up, but couldn't put any strength into his limbs. However, he did find the energy to crack a smile. The only other person to hit him that hard was his mother.

Rock stood there watching. He couldn't move. His body refused to listen to his commands. This was not something he was prepared for. He had fought Grimm before, a Beowulf here and there, a couple Ursa, but this was different. He was hopelessly outmatched. There was no way he could kill it. There was only one move he had that could kill it. But it was impossible. That move needed time to charge, and that monster would kill him before he got the chance.

Rock's face was covered in sweat. He shook with fear. In the corner of his eye he saw someone stand up and walk forward.

Nigel made no attempt to hide his fear. His legs were shaking, his hands were covered in sweat, and he couldn't even look directly at the Grimm. Even so, he walked forward, until he stood toe to toe with the beast. The Grimm's fist came crashing down, but missed as Nigel diverted the blow. Nigel's right hand glowed black, and with a chop he severed the Grimm's arm. The Grimm recoiled and screamed in pain. It tried to stop the bleeding by clamping down on the stump, but the black blood flowed freely. Nigel's right arm glowed with aura. His elbow flew upward, and the Grimm was split open up the middle. Blood and entrails spilled all over Nigel. It burned his eyes and stained his skin. His hair and clothes were soaked, and the smell nearly knocked him out.

"Why does this keep happening to me?" he cried.

Nigel went to check on Lucia and Giallo. The two of them stirred, but remained on the ground.

Nigel heard footsteps behind him. Without thinking his fist flew backwards and smacked into something. He realized what he had done and turned around petrified. Professor Alder was holding Nigel's fist in his hand, a small frown drawn across his face.

"Professor Alder!" Nigel shouted. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to attack you, it's just that whenever someone sneaks up on me I lash out. Everyone has been telling me that it's a real problem, and I've been trying to work on it but it's really difficult. I don't think I'll ever solve it for good. I just wanted you to know that I didn't want to attack you. Not like this, at least."

The professor coughed into his free hand. "I understand you mean me no harm. I came this way to see what the commotion was. You have performed admirably. As well, you were able to ascertain my location. Well done. Your team will receive full marks for this assessment."

"Thanks, teach," Giallo said, still lying on the ground.

An alarm rang. The professor looked at his scroll. "And that marks the end of class. I will see all of you tomorrow. And Nigel, please take a shower."

XxX

At the end of the day the four members of Team VNGR were relaxing in their room. Except for Rock. He was pacing back and forth grumbling to himself. For the entire day his mind went back to the forest, to the moment where he froze. His teammates were in danger and he was completely useless.

Giallo looked up at Rock. "Are you done moping? I'm trying to pray over here."

Lucia giggled. "Don't be too hard on him. If I couldn't fight because I was too scared I'd be upset too. The way he was shaking was so adorable, like a puppy."

Rock made a move towards Lucia, but Nigel jumped in between them.

"Don't be like that, you guys," Nigel pleaded. "Anyone would be scared of a Grimm like that. I nearly peed my pants when I saw it."

"But in the end you acted," Lucia said. "That's the difference." He looked directly at Rock. "This school is no place for cowards or weaklings."

For a moment it seemed like Rock was about to attack Lucia, but instead he stormed out of the room and slammed the door shut behind him. Nigel sighed and laid down on hi s bed.

Lucia's disappointment was written all over his face. He shook his head sadly. "I expected more from him. How dull he turned out to be."

"Did you really have to say all that?" Nigel asked.

"What good would it have done to lie? Would you place your life in the hands of someone you couldn't rely on?"

Giallo shook his head. "Lucia's right, god help us. If Rock can't pull through in a training exercise how can we count on him when it really matters? I've met plenty of people like him; overestimating their own strength only to hit a wall. They always end up burning out and dying. He wasn't the first, he won't be the last."

XxX

Rock didn't remember how he got into the city, all he knew was that he was wandering around the same part of town that he used to. It was the part of town that the lowlifes and scumbags flocked towards. It was full of people like him. His head was clouded. Lucia's words still echoed in his mind. Weakling, coward, worthless. He would prove him wrong, he'd prove them all wrong.

He ducked into an alley where a group of men were gathered. He pulled up his hood and walked up right up to them.

The one who looked like the leader stared down at Rock. This older man was broad and muscular. His arms were covered in tattoos, and his face was crossed with scars.

"The fuck do you want?" he spat

"I felt like kicking someone's ass and you just happened to be nearby," Rock replied.

The older man scowled and swung his fist, but Rock was faster. Rock felt the man's jaw shatter upon impact. He fell to the ground, limp. The others went down just as easily. After he was done Rock's clothes were covered in blood and he was pulling bits of teeth out of his fists. Rock stepped over their bodies and went to clean up. He found a restroom at a service station and washed his hands. The brief elation he felt earlier had already faded. He looked at his hands, covered in fresh cuts, and wondered what the point of all this was.

Did he want to prove his strength? No, that couldn't be it. Those men were far too weak to test him. Was he just blowing off steam? It didn't work since that feeling he had still had yet to go away. Something was gnawing at him. He splashed some water on his face and looked at himself in the mirror. He looked at his hair, and his eyes, and was reminded that he looked exactly like his mother. That's when it hit him. What Lucia had said, his mother had likely said something similar. What other reason could she have for abandoning her son like garbage, for not even trying to raise him? She took one look at him and saw his worthlessness. And now, years later, he wasn't any closer to proving her wrong.

XxX

Somewhere, in an isolated location, a computer monitor suddenly glowed red.

_Prototype 002 – eliminated _

One of the men monitoring the lab grinned. "Someone killed our prototype."

Another person looked up from their desk. "Are you sure? Maybe it's a malfunction."

"No, I'm certain. It fell in the Forever Fall Forest near Beacon."

"Beacon? You don't think that they're aware of our plans, do you?"

"Of course not. Hunters kill Grimm, this was just one more. By the time anyone realizes anything it will be too late. Besides, that was just a prototype, the completed models are much more powerful."

His gaze turned to the dozens upon dozens of large glass tubes, each one filled with a greenish liquid and a writhing mass of black flesh.

"I can't wait to show the world what we have accomplished."


	10. Get Got

**AN: ayy I got four followers. Good looking out. feel free to drop a review or something if you want. I want to know what you think about this.**

* * *

The next day, after spending most of the day in the city, Rock sat on the roof to the school's dorm building. Looking at his scroll he had missed most of his classes for the day. The events of the previous day kept playing in his mind, making him unable to focus on anything else. Frustrated, he leaned back and saw someone standing over him. Scrambling to his feet, he realized that it was the headmaster.

"Jeez, you scared the piss out of me," Rock said.

Ozpin chuckled. "That is unfortunate, I hope you have a change of pants."

Rock opened his mouth to retort, but stopped. "You're messing with me. Didn't expect you to have a sense of humor."

"The occasional joke is good for the soul, but I didn't come here to discuss comedy with you."

"That right? Then what did you come here for?"

"I simply wanted to know how you were adjusting to Beacon. It is quite different from fighting in empty warehouses and back alleys, I'm sure."

Rock blinked in surprise. "You know about that?"

Ozpin smiled, but it wasn't a friendly one. "I know quite a bit about you, _Rock._ I must say, your choice in aliases needs some refinement."

Rock stepped back. "What are you saying?"

"Did you think you were the first person to lie their way into Beacon?"

"Hod on, if you know who I am, then you have to know all the shit I did, and where I come from. Why would you even let me in this place if you know all that?"

Ozpin stopped smiling. He stared at Rock with hard, unblinking eyes. "If you would, allow me to ask you a question. Do you believe that you are beyond redemption, that you do not deserve a second chance? I have met many people like you, coming to Beacon hoping to start over. I see great potential in you, and it would be a shame to see it squandered. If you continue down the path you are on now, you will be back where you started with nothing to show for it."

Rock scoffed. "So what, you just want me to bare everything to those people? Tell them all my deep, dark secrets?"

"I wouldn't ask you to go that far right from the outset, but telling them your real name would do for starters."

"No way in hell. If they find out who I really am my life is worth shit in this place. Thanks for the advice, but I'm doing just fine right now."

Rock walked past Ozpin and went to the school. As he walked to his final class, he spotted the rest of his team. He made to walk past them, but felt someone grab onto his arm. He turned and saw Giallo glaring at him.

"Where the hell have you been?"

Rock jerked his arm free. "What do you care? I'm here now aren't I?"

"I thought I explained it already, I don't want anyone on my team I cant count on. It's bad enough I have to deal with Lucia and Nigel."

Lucia laughed. "Don't be too hard on him. If he wants to go off and cry, that's his prerogative."

Rock grabbed Lucia by the shirt. "How about I wipe that grin off your face?"

"Oh my, are you coming on to me? I must admit, you are cute. Maybe we could have some fun." Lucia slowly licked his lips.

Rock dropped Lucia and stepped back. Nigel got in between them, gesturing frantically.

"Can we please not do this here? Why don't we try talking things out?"

Rock glared at Lucia. "Fuck no. I've had enough of this guy. I'm gonna teach him a lesson."

Lucia's grin grew even more lecherous. "You're welcome to try."

The two stood nose to nose. The air was thick with tension, tension that was immediately deflated by more students arriving.

"Ah, the clashing of souls. Such a beautiful sight."

Lala strode toward the four boys, with Yasmin following close behind. Her face bore the same vacant smile as always. She was a million miles away.

Nigel waved. "Hey, Lala."

Lala walked up to Nigel and wrapped her arms around him. "Hello again, little lamb. It is good to see you."

Nigel went bright red and squirmed. "It's good to see you too. Please let me go."

Giallo whistled. "Nice, man. You gonna introduce your friend."

"This is Lala, and that other girl glaring at me is Yasmin. I met them the other day."

Lala waved at Giallo. "The brilliant shining sun. I've heard so much about you. You are quite different from what I imagined." Her eyes went to Lucia, and a line of blood flowed down her nose.

Yasmin rushed to her side and wiped her face clean with a cloth. "Are you okay?"

"I was not prepared for such a malignant mind. It has been quite a long time since I felt something like that."

Rock pointed at Lala. "What's wrong with her?"

Lala chuckled. "All manner of things. But I would ask the same of you. Your mind is clouded, obscured by many things. I wonder if it is due to the discord in your heart."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Rock said.

Lala answered like she was reading off of a list. "You are frustrated by your lack of strength. This frustration causes you to lash out at others. You wish to tell your teammates the truth about yourself, but you are worried that they won't accept you if they knew. But, louder than all the others is your feelings about your mother."

Rock grabbed Lala by the collar. "Who the fuck are you?"

Yasmin's hand flashed out and wrapped around Rock's arm. Her fingers dug into his wrist and he dropped Lala. Rock and Yasmin locked eyes, both of them enraged.

Lala's distant expression never wavered. "I appreciate your concern, Yasmin, but you do not need to worry. A barking dog's fangs cannot harm anyone."

Yasmin's hand went to her sword. "Perhaps, but this dog needs to be put down."

"I'd like to see you try," Rock growled.

Rock and Yasmin prepared to fight, but suddenly the two of them were suddenly lifted off the ground. A different girl had them suspended by their collars, their feet dangling off the ground.

"Please stop fighting," the girl said, her eyes welling up with tears.

Rock was too busy being choked by his collar to respond, but he took a look at the girl. She was massive, both tall and broad. She had thick, muscular arms that clashed with her soft, round face. Her straight, black hair went down past her waist, and there were a pair of curved horns on her head. Rock couldn't feel anything from this girl. She was weaker than he was, but that was only in spirit. In terms of raw physical strength, she was top of the line.

Yasmin sighed and put her arms down. "I won't fight anymore, Iris, so can you put me down?"

Iris set the two of them down. "Why were you fighting?"

Lala raised her hand. "It was over me. I'm quite popular."

"You know Lotus doesn't like you two going off alone. She's gonna be really upset."

Yasmin sighed. "I'll talk to her, don't worry."

Giallo looked Iris up and down. His eyes settled on her shirt, her buttons struggling to stay fastened as her chest pressed against them.

"Hi, I don't believe we've met. My name's Giallo."

Iris shrunk backwards. "Hi. I'm Iris."

"Well, Iris, maybe you and I could be friends."

Giallo tried to take a step forward, but stopped as a wave of raw enmity washed over him. He focused on it, feeling someone approaching him.

It was another girl. She had pink eyes that stood out against her dark skin. Her hair was tied in a single large braid that went down to her waist. There was a large pink gem on her forehead, and she had multiple golden bracelets around her wrists. Her arms and legs were long and slender, like a dancer's.

Iris cowered behind the girl. The newly arrived girl glared directly at Giallo. Giallo felt a chill go through his body. This girl was a monster, just like him. He could tell immediately, this girl was incredibly powerful.

"What are you people doing?" the girl demanded.

"Getting to know each other," Giallo said. "It'd be nice if I knew your name."

"My name is Lotus," she gestured towards the other girls, "and I'm in charge of these girls. Who the hell are you people?"

"I'm Giallo, and these guys are the rest of Team VNGR. I know we got off on the wrong foot, but I hope we can be friends."

Giallo extended a hand, but Lotus simply walked past him.

"Stay away from my team," she said.

Giallo felt that he had done something wrong.

"It's not you, Lotus just hates men," Lala replied. She went to follow Lotus, with Yasmin and Iris following close behind her. "Goodbye, everyone. I hope to see you again."

"Well, that was interesting," Lucia said.

Rock grumbled and walked ahead of his team to the next class.

"I wonder what what Lala meant about Rock?" Nigel said.

"Who cares?" Giallo said. "If Rock wants to keep things close then that's his right."

XxX

Glynda tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for the last of her students to fill into the amphitheater. Once all the students arrived she began her address.

"Now then, if there are no further delays, let us begin." She pressed a button on her scroll and two fighters were selected.

"Very well. Our first match will be Yasmin versus Weiss Schnee."

Yasmin and Weiss stood on the stage nose to nose. Both girls had a vicious scowl on their face. Weiss ground her teeth in anger as she glared at Yasmin, while Yasmin kept a tight grip on her sword. With great effort, the two turned away from each other and stood on opposite ends of the stage.

"Begin!" Glynda shouted.

Yasmin placed one hand on her sword's handle and another on the sheath. She bent her knees slightly and exhaled.

Weiss rushed forward and thrust her rapier at Yasmin. Yasmin's blade flashed from its sheath. The blade slashed across Weiss' chest, depleting a large chunk of her aura. Yasmin placed both hands on the sword's handle and raised it over her head. She slashed down, Weiss avoiding the blade at the last minute. Each one of Yasmin's strikes flowed into the next, giving Weiss no time to counter. Weiss was forced onto the defensive, blocking strike after strike with no hope of mounting an offense.

Watching in the audience, Rock let out a low whistle.

"That hat girl's pretty good. What's that sword technique called?"

"It's called Battoujutsu," Nigel responded. "It's an eastern sword technique based around sword drawing. But it looks like she knows Kenjutsu too."

Weiss thrust into the ground with her rapier, sending up multiple shards of ice. Yasmin jumped back, but lost sight of Weiss. Weiss appeared from behind and stabbed Yasmin in the back. Yasmin fell to the floor but sprang right back up. Weiss performed several thrusts with her rapier, but Yasmin deflected them with the tip of her sword. Yasmin stabbed at Weiss's stomach, but Weiss dodged and slashed at Yasmin. A jet of fire spouted from the tip of her rapier, engulfing Yasmin in flames. Yasmin jumped back and caught her breath. A glowing glyph appeared beneath Weiss. Several projectiles floated into the air and shot towards Yasmin. Yasmin cut all of them down, but in the process she had taken her eyes off of Weiss. A series of white glyphs appeared on the stage, and Weiss shot forward like a missile. Yasmin's eyes narrowed, but she made no move to avoid the attack. Instead, she parried the attack with her sword. Weiss' sword veered off target. Yasmin's arm shook from the force of the strike. Of course, Yasmin's sword was off target as well.

Then something strange happened. Yasmin was clearly in a disadvantageous position, her sword nearly slipping out of her hand. But then, in what couldn't have been more than a second, Yasmin had both hands on her sword and had it raised above her head. She slashed Weiss across the chest with full force, completely depleting her aura and sending her to the ground. The buzzer signaled the end of the fight.

"The winner is Yasmin," Glynda announced. "Weiss' semblance is both versatile and powerful, but proper technique can overcome raw power in most cases."

A smattering of applause sounded through the theater. Yasmin looked down at Weiss on her knees. The look on Yasmin's face was hard to read, but it looked like she was deep in thought about something. After what looked like much consideration, Yasmin sheathed her sword and left the stage.

"I wonder if there's something between them?" Lucia asked himself.

"Pretty obvious," Giallo said.

Glynda loudly cleared her throat. "Now then, let us proceed to our next match."

She selected another pair of fighters at random. Her eyebrow raised slightly when she saw who had been selected.

"Our next match will be Lucia Verde versus Jaune Arc."

Lucia was giddy with excitement. "Lovely. I've finally got an excuse to get closer to him."

"Try not to kill him," Rock said.

"Don't worry, he's far too pretty for that."

Lucia walked up to the stage and examined his opponent. Jaune was tall, but scraggly. His blonde hair fell moppishly around his face. He held his sword like he had no idea what he was doing. His eyes betrayed his lack of confidence. Lucia could hardly control himself. He felt his cheeks growing hot and he could hear his heart pounding. He wanted to tear the boy's armor off and **** him right here on the stage in front of everyone.

Lucia shook his head. He needed to take it slow. That last thing he wanted was to scare the boy off. There'd be plenty of time for the two of them later on.

"Begin!" Glynda shouted.

Lucia slowly strode towards Jaune. Jaune swung his sword wildly, Lucia easily dodging every strike. Jaune swung as hard as he could, but Lucia caught the blade in his hand. Lucia looked down at Jaune's hand and frowned.

"You're holding it wrong," he said. He wrapped his fingers around Jaune's hand and guided them to the correct position.

"There, doesn't that feel better?"

Jaune nodded. He tentatively swung a few times and was astonished at how much easier it was to swing this time. Jaune's smile lit up the room.

"Thanks."

Lucia felt like he was floating. He had to make this boy his.

Jaune resumed his attack. Despite his corrected stance, he still wasn't any closer to hitting Lucia.

Lucia got closer and closer to Jaune until they were standing toe to toe. "You're hesitating. What is holding you back?"

With a loud pop, Lucia's aura disappeared. "Come, I am defenseless. Strike me down, and don't hold back."

Jaune's eyes went wide. "What are you doing? Isn't this dangerous?"

Lucia frowned. "What's wrong? Have you never cut anyone before? It's easy, let me show you."

He grabbed Jaune's sword and slowly drew a line across his chest. Blood began to trickle from the wound as Lucia sighed in ecstasy.

"There, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Lucia asked.

A panicked murmur went through the audience. Jaune looked around searching for a sign of what to do. Glynda merely shrugged. Jaune sighed and kept fighting, getting no closer to victory.

Lucia couldn't stop smiling if he tried. "I think I've seen enough. Don't worry, I'll make it quick."

Lucia drew his right arm back. A few people in the audience noticed the way his hand turned, nearly a full three-sixty degrees. If not for Lucia's aura such a motion would have broken his wrist and shredded his muscles. Lucia rushed forward and slammed his palm into Jaune's stomach, his hand springing back on the other direction. The impact was like getting hit with a giant drill. Jaune's aura was rapidly depleted and fell below the line for elimination. Lucia stood over Jaune's defenseless body, his fingers still tense. He took a step forward when he heard a sharp whistle ring in his ears. He turned and saw Giallo motioning for Lucia to join him. Lucia looked down at his hands and realized what had came over him. He felt like he'd been drenched with ice water. When he went to rejoin his team, he saw the look Giallo was giving him and shrugged.

"What? I didn't kill him."

XxX

After dinner, Lucia wandered outside the dorms taking in the night sky. He sat on a bench staring up at the stars.

"I see you like stargazing," someone said.

Lucia suddenly found himself surrounded on both sides. He recognized the two as Jaune's teammates, Ren and Nora. Nora waved happily while Ren was as stoic as always.

"Did you need something?" Lucia asked.

"I just wanted to talk for a bit. You know, all friendly like. That's how I want us to be, nice and friendly."

Lucia relaxed slightly. "Alright, what did you want to talk about?"

"Why'd you try to kill Jaune?" Nora asked.

Lucia suddenly heard the sound of a gun's hammer being pulled back. He felt the barrel being pressed against his side as Nora took a firm grip on his shoulder.

"It's too late to run, now answer the question."

Lucia sighed. "So you noticed. It's true, for a moment I did contemplate killing your friend. It was an impulse. I did not have the best upbringing. In my life, I have killed many people. Every battle I've ever fought was to the death. For a moment, those same familiar urges came over me again. But, I made a promise not to kill my fellow students, and I intend to keep it."

Ren and Nora shared a look. Then, they both rose and walked away. Lucia felt his entire body go slack. Their bonds of friendship were a powerful thing indeed. He wondered if he would find something like that for himself. But the thought that dominated his mind was one in particular.

Ren and Nora, he had the feeling those two were more like him than they let on.


	11. Put Your Quarter Up

Saturday morning, Nigel and Rock found themselves in the city. With their other teammates occupied, the two decided to take some time to get to know each other. At least, that's how Rock chose to see it. In reality he had dragged Nigel kicking and screaming out of the dorm room, intending to force him to socialize. Despite Nigel's numerous, loud objections, he ended up traveling alongside his teammate.

The two weaved through crowds of people. Vale was incredibly busy, especially on the weekends. Nigel tried to keep up with Rock, but couldn't keep from accidentally bumping into people. After all of the apologizing their trip was delayed by several minutes.

"I hate the city," Nigel complained. "It's too crowded and noisy."

Rock rolled his eyes. "You've been complaining nonstop since we got here. Why don't you try not bumping into people?"

"It's harder than it looks. Besides, I told you I had plans today."

"And I told you that sitting in your room all day isn't how you're supposed to spend the weekend. Maybe if you went outside once in a while you wouldn't be so fucked up."

Nigel scoffed. "I'm messed up because I went outside."

The two of them were suddenly stopped by a crowd of people. The streets was filled with the sound of panicked murmurs. Curious, Rock pushed past the crowd to see what they were staring at.

He saw a space between two buildings that was cordoned off by police tape. A group of uniformed cops were keeping the crowd away from the crime scene. Behind the yellow tape, two detectives were examining bodies.

"I'm gonna get a closer look," Rock said.

"What? I don't think that's a good idea," Nigel said.

Rock walked up to the crime scene and looked at the bodies. There were six of them, all older men who looked like they had been bludgeoned to death. Some had broken bones with jagged white edges sticking out of their flesh. One's neck was bent at an odd angle. One had a fist shaped indentation in the center of their face. The ground was littered with broken teeth and pools of blood.

Rock felt his stomach churn. "Damn, they got fucked up."

Nigel stared wide eyed at the strewn bodies.

"It's wonderful."

"What?"

"Just look at it. The efficiency, the grace. He killed them with just the right amount of power. There were no wasted moves, no superficial attacks. Every single blow was delivered perfectly. It's a work of art."

"You can tell all that just by looking at some bodies?"

"A corpse is like a calling card for a martial artist. Just by looking at the wounds you can see what school they were from. I wish I could get closer, then maybe I could see what style they used."

Rock eyed a nearby garbage can. "Let me help."

He discreetly pointed at the can. There was a high pitched whining noise, and then the can exploded. Burning pieces of garbage flew in every direction as people ran away screaming. The police guarding the crime scene ran off to investigate the blast.

"See? Now we're in," Rock said with a grin.

Nigel sighed and ducked under the police tape. His nose stung with the stench of blood. He knelt down next to one of the bodies. The man's left wrist was broken, and his throat had been crushed.

Nigel took out his scroll and began to take pictures. "It's even more incredible up close. It's such a simple pattern: deflect the attack, disable the opponent, and then kill. I bet if I see the other bodies they'll all tell me the same thing."

He hurried to the next corpse, but found someone standing in his way.

"What are you kids doing in my crime scene?"

It was a heavyset man with balding brown hair. His face was twisted with a scowl and he was chomping on a cigar.

"I'm sorry!" Nigel said in a panic. "I just wanted to get a closer look at the bodies."

"Why in the world would you want to do that?" the detective asked.

"Because whoever did this has to be a master. He took them out with precision that could only come from years of training. I think I can learn from looking at them."

The detective thought for a moment. "Wait, you're saying all these were done by one guy?"

Nigel nodded in response. "Yeah. I'm certain of it."

"Alright. I might as well use you while I've got you. Follow me, and watch where you step."

Nigel stepped over the blood stains and scattered teeth. "Shouldn't there be other people here?"

The old man laughed. "Don't need anyone else besides my partner. There he is now."

The boys' eyes were drawn to another, younger looking, man on the ground muttering to himself. He had his ear pressed to the ground, nodding in agreement to something no one had said. He wrote something down on a notepad and kept talking. He was so caught up in his conversation that he didn't notice the others approaching him.

"Hey, Salt," the older detective said. "How's the investigation going?"

Detective Salt got up and brushed the dirt off of his clothes.

"Same as all the other ones. Some guy came into the alley, some other guys came in, and then six people died."

"Yeah well, I've got someone here who thinks they can help."

"Was that guy just talking to the ground?" Rock asked.

The heavyset detective laughed. "Everyone says that at first. This is Detective Salt, my partner. Show them the file, Salt."

Salt pulled a file out of his coat and handed it to Nigel. Nigel opened it and found that it was filled with pictures of corpses. All of them had similar injuries to the ones in the alley. Nigel slowly pored over the images, taking in every single detail.

"Yeah, these were all the same person. I can tell."

"How so?" Rock asked.

Nigel pointed at one of the bodies. "See that fist mark on his face? The way it's lined up, the killer's fist was vertical when it hit. That's not something an amateur would do. And look around us." He pointed at the debris scattered around the alley, the broken bottles, discarded pipes, old bricks.

"This alley is full of traps, but none of them were ever touched. This is someone with absolute confidence in his fists."

"I'm impressed. You sound like you know what you're talking about," Rock said.

Nigel puffed up with pride. "I happen to know a few things about murder."

"Could you not look so pleased when you say that?" Cotton said.

Salt sighed. "In any case, if you're right then this person is responsible for five different bare-handed murders in the past two weeks."

"It's getting real out here," Rock said.

"Tell me about it, between the White Fang, the Torchwick gang, and all these murders, this is the worst the city's been in years."

Salt pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why am I complaining to a bunch of kids?"

Nigel checked the time on his scroll. "Oh, we really need to get going. How about we exchange scroll numbers, that way you can call if something develops."

"Sure, kid, whatever you say."

After exchanging numbers with the detectives, Rock and Nigel left the alley.

"That was fun," Nigel said.

"What's so fun about ogling a bunch of dead bodies?" Rock asked.

"Everything. I've never been able to see bodies that look so pristine. I love studying bodies. I never got the chance to before coming to Vale. I know this might sound conceited but sometimes I wonder if anyone has studied some of the bodies I've left behind. Oh, that's not to say that I just go around randomly killing people. I've only ever killed people in duels."

Rock shook his head. "You know, you really need to learn when to stop talking."

He looked ahead and saw a familiar head of blond hair. Yang was walking in their direction with her sister in tow. Yang grinned when she noticed the two.

"Hey guys. What're you up to?" she said.

"Nothing much," Rock replied. "I heard there was this arcade downtown and I wanted to check it out. What about you?"

Ruby pouted and kicked the ground. "I just burned through all my allowance buying bullets. Everything is so expensive because of this dust shortage."

"Well, if you're not doing anything, wanna come to the arcade with us?"

Yang grinned. "Mr Rock, are you asking us out on a date?"

"Nah, nothing like that. I just wanna hang for a bit."

Yang sighed. "You're no fun. But, we'd be more than happy to join you. Show us a good time, okay?"

The arcade was a short walk from where they were. As soon as they stepped inside they were greeted with a cacophony of game sounds and the low roar of various conversations mixing together. Ruby's eyes went wide as she saw the various games all over.

"They have a Red vs Blue 2 machine!" she shouted, excitedly skipping over.

Rock followed her to the machine. "How about a few games? Promise I'll go easy on you."

"You're on."

Nigel silently pleaded for Rock to stay near him. He wasn't used to this much noise or this many people. He kept glancing back towards the door, his mind racing for excuses to leave.

He was snapped back to reality by a hard slap on the back. Yang looked worried, like she was observing a wounded animal.

"You okay there, buddy?"

"Yeah, I just don't go outside that often so," he gestured around him, "all this, not really used to it."

"I can see that. You definitely need to get out more. Thankfully, I'm here to show you around."

"I'm surprised you'd even want to do that, after what happened before."

Yang sighed. "Yeah. Listen, Rock told me about what happened to you, or at least the broad strokes. I can see why you freaked out back then. It was messed up, but that's in the past. I know a little about holding on to bad feelings. I'll tell you from experience, it doesn't lead anywhere good."

Nigel was about to reply, when Yang suddenly grabbed his arm and dragged him to a machine.

"Oh cool, a DDR machine. I freaking love this game."

Nigel looked at the contraption. There was a cabinet displaying a video of several colored arrows flying towards the top of the screen. In front of the cabinet were two metal platforms with glass panels that had pictures of arrows on them. From that, Nigel had a brief idea of how this game was played, but he had no idea if he'd be any good at it. Normally, he would vehemently refuse to even try, but something about Yang's insistence broke through his hesitation.

Yang put some money in the machine and picked a song.

"You ever played this before?" she asked.

Nigel shook his head. "I spent most of my time training. Never really had time for video games."

"Wow, that's sad." she motioned for him to join her on the other platform. "There's no time like the present. We'll start you off with the easier difficulty and work up from there."

The first song began and the two began to play. It didn't take long for Nigel to get the hang of things, though he still stuck to the intermediate difficulty. He was nothing compared to Yang, who was getting perfect scores on the second highest difficulty setting. Nigel could hardly comprehend the endless stream of arrows flooding her side of the screen. They were enough to completely block out the background visuals.

In time they had managed to attract a crowd. People had left their machines to ogle Yang as she danced. Nigel couldn't help himself, staring at her as well.

She was a work of art. The way her hair swayed as she moved, her muscles rippling beneath her skin, the sweat that flew from her body, the way she smiled like she was having the time of her life. Everything about her was beautiful.

The last song ended and Yang stopped to catch her breath. She took a drink of water. Nigel couldn't tear his eyes away from her. Yang seemed to notice by the look she was giving him. She cried out in feigned shock and made a show of covering herself up with her arms.

"Jeez, keep staring like that and you'll burn a hole right through me."

Nigel turned red and quickly looked away. "Sorry. I didn't mean to stare."

"It's no big deal, you're not the first guy I caught checking out my _personality."_

Nigel groaned and placed his head in his hands, which only made Yang laugh harder.

"Come on, man, lighten up," she said.

Nigel looked at Yang's score. She had managed to easily take second on the high score list. "Wow, you're really good at this."

Yang scoffed. "That's nothing, you should see Ren."

Yang walked off the machine laughing. She and Nigel went over to where Ruby and Rock were playing and both found themselves stifling laughter.

Rock was getting his ass kicked, to the amusement of the gathered crowd. A look at the screen showed that Ruby was already at nine wins in a row, and judging by the fight they were seeing at the moment, she was on her way to a tenth. The crowed jeered and hurled insults at Rock as he got beaten like faunus stepchild. He wasn't a beginner, but Ruby was on another level. Ruby beat Rock with ease, seven golden letters flashing on the screen.

"Perfect!" the game announced.

Ruby jumped and pumped her fists. "Wooo! Ten wins in a row, a new record!"

Rock scoffed. "I almost had you last time."

Ruby had a mischievous grin. "Well, if you need some pointers I'd be happy to give you a few."

Yang sighed. "Ruby played this game every day when we were younger. If she wasn't working on her weapon she was grinding at the game."

"Yep, there wasn't a single kid as Signal who could beat me," Ruby bragged.

Rock grumbled to himself and ground his teeth in frustration.

"Why don't you try a different game?" Nigel suggested.

At Nigel's advice, Rock challenged Ruby to every game they had. Basketball, ski ball, crane games, darts, billiards, target shooting, Ruby beat him in every single one.

Rock laid on the ground, utterly defeated in his campaign against a fifteen year old.

"Get up off the floor. People are staring," Nigel said.

Rock sprang back up. "Whatever. I'm gonna beat you one of these days, kid."

"You're a thousand years too early to stand a chance against me," Ruby gloated.

Yang looked outside and saw the sun going down. "It's getting late. If we hurry we can make it back to Beacon in time for dinner."

Several minutes later the four of hem were on a Bullhead landing at the edge of Beacon's campus.

"That was fun," Yang said.

Nigel nodded in agreement. "I'd like to do that again sometime. If you'd want to, that is."

"Sure. Maybe next time we can make it a team thing."

"That'd be cool. See you tomorrow."

The two groups said their goodbyes and parted ways. As soon as they were gone Rock exploded with excitement.

"Dude, you're in!" he almost shouted.

Nigel shushed him. "What are you talking about?"

"Dude, she said she wants to hang out again. Why would she do that if she wasn't into you?"

"Maybe she's just being nice. Besides, she isn't my type."

Rock grinned and got uncomfortably close to Nigel. "Really? Who is then?"

"I'm not telling you that. Besides, I've never had any luck with girls."

Rock deflated as all enthusiasm left from his body. "Fine, whatever. We better hurry before they run out of food."

Rock ran off ahead. As he watched Rock leave, Nigel's mind went back to the arcade. Ruby had bested Rock in every game they played, but the margins grew slimmer each time they played. Even in games Rock had never played before, he was immediately able to grasp the basics and hold his own against someone who'd been playing for years. No one noticed this except for Nigel, but he couldn't help but feel like this would be significant later.

"No, I'm probably just overthinking things again."


	12. Murder on my Mind

Giallo stood before his mother. She knelt down, waiting for him to approach. Unlike before, her clothes were neat and tidy and her long black hair was tied back in a bun. her blue eyes betrayed no emotion at all.

"Giallo, I am going to embrace you. Prepare yourself," she said.

Giallo nodded and wrapped his arms around her. Her arms closed around him and he was enveloped in her embrace. Giallo closed his eyes and felt himself relax. That was a mistake. He could feel the pressure on his ribs, enough to shatter them into powder. He immediately summoned his aura to save himself.

He felt the surge of power throughout his body, in every vein and fiber of muscle. It was the only way he could protect himself from his mother. Feeling, the resistance, Giallo's mother squeezed him even harder. Giallo bit down on his cheek to keep from screaming. This was how the two spent their time. Despite appearances, this was not a ritual born of malice, but one born of love.

Bianca Fiamma was born with an abnormal body. Since she was born she has had the strength of ten men. Her hands could easily destroy stone as if it were paper. Her fists were enough to slay man and Grimm alike even without the aid of Aura. In terms of raw physical strength she was one of the mightiest creatures on the planet, but while her strength was a blessing on the battlefield, it was a curse in every other part of her life. She couldn't embrace her parents, she had to restrain herself at all times lest she risk causing irreparable harm, she could never truly tell her husband how much she loved him. She couldn't even hold her own child in her arms without killing him.

Giallo grit his teeth as he felt his mother's vice like grip. The force pressing down on him felt like he was about to be torn in half. But, inside he was smiling. It was supped to be part of his training, but he thought of it as a reward. There was nothing he enjoyed more than being held by his mother.

After several seconds, his mother released Giallo from her embrace. Giallo fell to the ground and gasped for air. His aura flickered and sputtered, but it remained unbroken.

"Well done, our bond as parent and child has deepened."

As gently as she could, she slowly ran her fingers through Giallo's hair. this was the briefest indulgence he was allowed. he savored every second of it.

But like all things, this too was short lived. When Bianca made her declaration to forge her son into the ultimate weapon, she meant it. There was no time for things such as motherly affection. She merely allowed those brief moments of respite to keep Giallo's motivation from fading.

Bianca rose to her feet. "Now then, let us begin."

She raised her fists and charged at her son. Giallo narrowly avoided her fist as her punch sent a blast of wind past his head He couldn't afford to be hit. Even a glancing blow would tear right through his body, aura or not. He struck back, but his mother caught his fist. The tip of her finger brushed past his chin. It nearly broke his jaw. With a light shove, Giallo was driven into the ground.

"That is another failure," Bianca said. She pulled Giallo up onto his feet. "You must be stronger, for the world's evils will be merciless. It matters not that you are a child, or that I am your mother. If you mean to uphold the Lord's will, then you must be unbending."

"Yes, mother," Giallo replied.

Bianca suddenly fell to one knee, hacking and coughing into her hand. Giallo took a step towards her, but Bianca motioned for him to stop. She looked at the hand she had coughed into, and saw that it was wet with blood. With a scowl she clenched her fist once more.

"Let us continue," she said.

Giallo looked at his mother, her face covered in sweat, dark circles under her eyes, skin paler than a ghost and trembling like she was out in the cold.

"You're sick, mother. Must we do this now?" Giallo pleaded.

Bianca's shook her head. "I do not have much time left. I must engrave everything I know upon your body. All of my skills, all of my power will be yours. It must pain you so, to see me like this, but this is merely another trial the Lord has laid before you. you must overcome it. No more distractions. Fight me, my son."

The fight resumed. Bianca's fists were just as fast and strong as before, but her illness had robbed her of her stamina. after ten minutes of dodging and weaving around her attacks, her fists began to slow. A lesser fighter wouldn't have been able to see the difference, but Giallo was not ordinary.

Just as his mother's fist flew past his face, he countered with a strike of his own. his fist sailed into his mother's stomach, lifting her up off the ground as bile spilled from her mouth. She fell to the ground in a heap. Giallo stepped back, horrified at what he had done. He went to help up his mother but she pushed him away and slowly climbed to her feet.

"Do not insult me, my son," Bianca said, "I asked you to strike true, and that you did. Well done. I will reward you handsomely tonight. anything you wish."

Later that night, Giallo had his head in his mother's lap as they cooked over an open fire. He felt the warmth from the flames, as well as his mother. The only place he found peace was in her arms.

Bianca stroked Giallo's hair, a proud smile on her face. "You are nearly there, my son. I believe you can become even mightier than I. I will forge you into the perfect warrior, in the name of our Lord."

"Yes, mother."

Giallo closed his eyes, sleep calling for him. "I love you, mama."

"I love you too, Giallo."

This was a memory Giallo held onto. It was an ordinary day of training with his mother. He enjoyed those days dearly. It hadn't hit him until years later how much she truly meant to him.

Six months later, Bianca would succumb to her illness and lose her life, leaving Giallo to complete his training alone.

He was eight years old.

Giallo awoke with a start, wondering why his head was hurting. He felt something wet on his face, and he realized that he had been crying. Sighing, he looked in his bag and pulled out a small, faded photograph. It was a picture of his mother, the only one he had left.

After a quick shower Giallo left the dorm. He knew that Nigel and Rock would spend the day doing whatever it was that they did. For a brief moment he considered spending the day with Lucia. That idea was quickly discarded.

Traveling through the campus, Giallo thought about what he should do. Free time was not something he was used to. For as long as he could remember, his time was filled with either training or fighting. He saw all the people around him but knew that he had no chance of socializing with them.

"What to do, what do do."

As he traveled, his mind went back to that Grimm he fought in the forest. It was the first time his fists had failed to kill something. That troubled him greatly.

"Am I getting weaker?" he asked himself.

He curled in one finger and felt a surge of power in his right arm.

_5 _

He reared back and punched the air, unleashing a powerful gust of wind. It was at that moment he noticed how many women had chosen to wear skirts that day. The air was filled with shocked and embarrassed screams.

Giallo whistled nonchalantly and tried to walk away. He felt someone grab his shoulder and stiffened. Turning around, he saw Glynda glaring down at him, a vein pulsing in her temple.

"Mr Fiamma, would you like to join me in my office?"

XxX

After Glynda had finished yelling at him about things like "sexual harassment" and "hostile work environments", Giallo sat in a seat with his ears ringing. Glynda was a frightening woman when she got upset.

Glynda exhaled and sat at her desk. "That aside, how are you adjusting to life at Beacon? I understand that you lived alone these past few years."

Giallo shrugged. "I'm not used to sleeping on a bed, for one. The rooms feel so small. I'm used to looking up at the sky when I fall asleep."

Glynda smiled. "That is one of the few benefits of being a Hunter, being able to walk the land, feeling the ground beneath your feet, calling home wherever you choose to lay your head for the evening."

"What made you stop?"

"Someone asked me to use my skills for a greater cause, and I've always dreamed of being a teacher."

"You ever miss it?"

Glynda looked off into space. "I'd be lying if I said that I didn't, but I have grown to like my life at Beacon. I enjoy a nice, structured existence."

"That reminds me, another thing I'm not used to is being in charge of people. Bad enough you people made me leader, but you stuck me with three headcases. Why'd Ozpin even make me leader in the first place?"

"I admit, there are times where I don't understand that man's thought processes, but _Professor_ Ozpin seldom chooses poorly. And in all seriousness, could you imagine any of your teammates in a leadership position?"

Giallo shook his head. "Lucia's as likely to turn on us as he is an enemy, Nigel's tough as nails but he's completely out of his mind, and Rock is just no good. It's gonna take some doing to whip him into shape."

Glynda chuckled softly. "Your team is a tad dysfunctional, but it's far from the worst I've seen in my time here. If you have the time, ask some of the other staff members about Team STRQ. That will help to put things into perspective. If there's nothing else, you are free to go. I'm sure you have better things to do on your day off than being lectured by me."

Giallo shrugged. "I don't really mind, Miss."

"In any case, I will see you on Monday, Giallo. And please remember what we talked about."

XxX

Lucia laid in his bed staring at the ceiling. He had been in his bed since Friday night, and now it was a Sunday afternoon. He had laid in his bed, watching the hours slowly while away.

He was bored. He was so very bored. He wasn't used to this, order, structure. He was used to feeling the ground beneath his feet, traveling from one deadly duel to the next without a care in the world. He missed it, the smell of blood, the feeling of flesh yielding to his fists, the screams of his enemies. He missed the exhilaration of bullets whizzing past his head, blades piercing his skin, the clubs and fists bruising his flesh.

It would be so easy to find someone in the school and fight them. They'd defend themselves, and give him the fight of his life. But he made a promise not to hurt the students, and he intended to keep it. But he could feel the urge gnawing at him, like insects crawling beneath his skin. Everything he wanted was within reach, but he couldn't grasp it. It was torture he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy.

His ears started ringing. He shut his hands over his ears but the sound still rang inside his brain. His body grew hot. He started panting. The heat grew unbearable. He was burning up.

Delirious, he fell out of his bed and stumbled over to the nightstand. He opened a drawer and grabbed a small knife that belonged to Rock. He pressed the blade's tip against his chest, and slowly pushed it inside of him. It was a shallow wound, not even enough to really call it a wound, but it helped all the same.

He sighed with relief. The noises stopped along with the burning feeling. He fell to the floor, all energy having left his body.

He didn't know how much longer he could take this. He needed to kill someone, anyone. He could only hold himself back for so long.

He had to let it out before he did something he would regret.

XxX

Rock walked through the empty theater. He wasn't used to it being this quiet. Normally it'd be filled with students watching a fight or listening to a lecture, but it was the weekend so there was no one around.

Rock scanned the room until he found what he was looking for. It was a large screen with the symbol of the Huntsman Association displayed on it. Rock pressed a finger against the screen and a list of possible jobs appeared. As a student, he could take on an assignment for money, but none of the jobs he saw looked appealing.

He looked and saw that the jobs could be sorted by type.

"So I should be able to see open bounties," he said to himself.

"And why do you wish to see that?" a voice asked.

Rock turned and saw Professor Alder. The elderly teacher was leaning on a cane and yawning.

Rock went back to the board. "Hey, gramps. I was just looking for someone."

Professor Alder raised an eyebrow. "Gramps? Well, I suppose this is as good a time as any to teach you about missions. The Association receives requests from all across Remnant. Sometimes we're asked to escort civilians through hostile territory, or clear Grimm out of an area, as well as finding and rescuing missing people. As you mentioned, there are missions that require us to apprehend fugitives."

Alder pressed a button on the screen and a list of open bounties appeared. Each one had a letter next to their name.

"The grade is used to determine the level of difficulty. D Grade is about the level of a student. Those are your bail jumpers, your common thugs, those types. On the other end you have A Grade. Those have been determined by the Association to be incredibly dangerous. A Rank fugitives would require at least one veteran Hunter to defeat."

Rock thought for a moment. "The person I'm looking for is definitely A Rank."

Alder scrolled to the top of the list. Rock saw her immediately. Her hair and eyes were identical to his own. Looking at her eyes, there was nothing there. No joy, no kindness, no compassion. It was clear that she deserved to be an A Ranked criminal.

Rock ground his teeth. "Yeah, that's her."

"Do you know that woman?"

"She's my mom."

Alder paused for a moment. "I see."

"Yeah. You know, I heard all these stories about her growing up, and a lot of it sounded like bullshit, but looking at her now, I can tell they're all true. She's exactly what people say she is."

Rock sighed and walked away. "Thanks for the lesson, gramps. See you in class."

Alder looked at the bounty list again. He hated how many of these people he recognized. There were people who he fought alongside many years ago, people who had made names for themselves as Huntsmen before falling astray, and even some he recognized as former students.

Unbidden, his thoughts went to his current student, Rock. He could see the great potential that boy held, but he was still far from where he needed to be. People who experienced both the light and dark were the hardest to handle.

But ensuring that he stayed on the right path was part of Alder's job as a teacher.

XxX

The man walked into the bar. He'd had a long, hard day of work and he felt like unwinding for a bit. Walking in he could see that it was a run down place filled with smoke and people that looked to be of ill repute. It was just how he liked it. This was the outer edge of the city, even beyond the wall. If there was anywhere he'd be able to get some peace and quiet it would be here

The man walked up to the counter and took a seat. The barman looked him up and down before reaching for a glass.

"What're you havin'?" he asked.

"Whatever's good."

The barman filled the glass and handed it to the man. "So, what's your story?"

"I'm sorry?"

"You look like a man that's got a story to tell. People like that come here all the time. Sometimes it's Huntsmen, other times it's bangers or pushers. I even get a few lawmen in here from time to time, and every single one chomping at the bit to tell me all about themselves. So what about you?"

"You'll forgive me if I don't go baring my soul to a total stranger, I hope."

"Fair enough. You got a name at least?"

The man took a long drink. "Gin."

"Much obliged, Gin. You just sit back and take a load off."

Gin relaxed and enjoyed his drink. He closed his eyes and listened to the low murmur of conversation. But a different sound overpowered all the others. Slowly, the door to the bar opened and a group of men walked in. the men walked up to the bar and surrounded Gin. One leaned over and placed a hand on Gin's shoulder.

"You boys need something?" Gin asked.

"Man you know what the fuck this is," one man responded. "Took out six'a my guys yesterday. You must be from outta town, else you'd know better than to fuck with the Black Knuckles. Boss put a hundred large on your head. If you knew what was good for you you'd already be outta here."

Gin glanced at the pistol the man had tucked in his waistband. He turned and went back to his drink. "You've saved me a bit of trouble, actually. I was asked to kill that boss of yours. Just tell me where to find him and I'll be out of your hair."

The man reached for the gun. "That ain't how this is gonna play."

Gin sighed. "Boy, if you pull out that gun I'll kill you. Then I'm gonna kill your friends for being with you, and then I'm gonna have to kill every living thing in this place for being witnesses. I've had a long day, so I'd rather not have to waste time that could be spent drinking."

The room went arctic in an instant. The patrons suddenly stopped talking. All eyes were on Gin and the men threatening him. If the lights in the bar worked properly, they would have seen the way Gin's jaw tightened, or the wooden bar cracking beneath his fingers.

"Now hold on," the barman protested. "There's no need for any kind of violence."

The man with the gun laughed. "Ain't no other way around this shit right here."

Gin pushed his chair out and stood in front of the man threatening him.

"Fine, guess I'm not gonna convince you otherwise. Go ahead, pull it. You get one chance, but that's all you get."

The man had his hand on the gun's handle. Sweat poured down his face. He drew the gun and raised it high, but before the man holding it could twitch against the trigger the back of Gin's fist sailed across the man's jaw and sent his head spinning a full one-eighty degrees. The man stood there frozen in shock for a moment before falling to the ground in a heap. Not missing a beat he buried his fist in the next man's chest. Gin's fist shone with a white light and his victim was blown into a wall. He slowly slid to the floor, leaving behind a trail of blood, a fist sized hole where his heart used to be. Gin kicked the next man on his knee, sending him screaming to the floor. He raised his foot and crushed the man's rib cage.

Gin looked at the last man standing. The man dropped his gun and ran for the door. He made it to the doorknob before he felt a gust of wind on his back. Gin had sliced at the air with the flat of his hand, and in the next moment the other man's head fell off of his shoulders and rolled on the ground. The look on his face showed that he hadn't even realized what happened.

Gin looked at the scattered corpses. "Shit, guess I can forget about finding their boss." His eyes went to the remaining patrons, huddled up and cowering in the corner. They were afraid, terrified. That much fear from that many people meant Grimm, and that wouldn't do at all. They had to go.

"I just wanted to relax."

When Gin was finished, he sat back in his seat and poured another drink. He raised the glass to his lips, but stopped when he heard his scroll ringing. He looked and saw that it was an unknown number.

"Who is this?"

The voice on the other end laughed. "Man, you are difficult to get a hold of. This is Gin, right?"

"How did you get this number?"

"Don't worry about that. I've got a proposition for you. I'm working on a little project, and I could use your expertise. I've seen the work you've left all over Vale, you're exactly the kind of guy I need on this"

"You need muscle, you mean?"

"I need a killer, and you're the best around. I'm not asking you to work for free, of course. I'm willing to pay you handsomely for your services."

"Never had a need for money. If you need some people dead just make sure they're worth killing."

"That's what I like to hear. Meet me at the abandoned warehouse by the harbor, we can discuss the... particulars."

"Here, there, makes no difference to me. All I wanna know is who I'm working for."

"You can call me Roman, Roman Torchwick. I'm looking forward to seeing you in person, Gin."


	13. thenoiseinsidemyhead

The halls of Beacon were filled with the best and brightest young minds from all across Remnant. They were the cream of the crop, the best of the best, the upper echelon.

And then there was Team LILY. Team LILY, who were the last team to pass the initiation. Team LILY who collectively had the worst combat record in their year. Team LILY, who were the subject of a dead pool ran by several students and a few teachers. They were the dregs of Beacon, the chaff, the dead weight, the cannon fodder.

Like always, Team LILY's morning began with a faint sense of irritation that permeated the dorm room. Lotus woke up first, feeling a faint burning under her skin.

"Again?" she said, clearly upset.

"Sorry," Yasmin said. "We're working on it."

"Well work harder. I haven't had a good night's sleep since I got to this place."

"Don't be so hard on them, Lotus," Iris pleaded. "You know how hard she's been trying."

Lotus rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I'm taking the first shower." Lotus stomped into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

Yasmin sighed. "Thanks, Iris."

Iris smiled. "You know Lotus is worried too. She just doesn't want anyone to know she actually cares about people. I know how hard Lala's been working. We all want her to get better." She looked longingly at the bathroom. "I think Lotus is gonna be a while. I'm gonna shower in the school."

Iris grabbed her things and left the room. Yasmin went to the bed where her partner was still sound asleep.

"Come on, Lala, it's time to wake up," Yasmin said, gently nudging Lala.

Lala grumbled. "Good morning."

"Good morning to you too." Yasmin handed Lala a small white bottle. "Here."

Lala took the bottle with a grimace. "How much more of this poison must I consume?"

"You know you have to take it, Lala."

Lala opened the bottle and shook out two pills. Frowning all the while, she swallowed them.

"There, all gone," she said. "These pills rob my life of its color. If this is the cure then perhaps the disease is more preferable."

Yasmin wrapped her arms around Lala. "I know you hate taking them, but it's better than the alternative." Lala grabbed her bag from beside her bed. "Come on, we have to get ready for class."

After showering and changing into their uniforms, Lala and Yasmin passed by another group of students in the hall. They would have passed by without saying anything, but one of them turned when they recognized Yasmin.

"Hey," the student shouted. "I remember you. You're that girl who fought Weiss, right?"

Yasmin turned to look at the girl who called her out. "Yes. Can I help you with something?"

"I just wanted to tell you how awesome you looked. The way you swung that sword was so cool! It was like one of those old martial arts movies."

Yasmin nodded. "Thank you. I work at it every day."

Lala chuckled. "Do not be fooled by her false modesty. She is quite pleased by your compliment, especially when it comes from one as skilled as you, Nora."

"Thanks," Nora said, her smile slowly fading. "But wait, how did you know my name?"

Yasmin quickly stepped forward. "We learned when they were assigning teams. Everyone in the school wants to know about Pyrrha's teammates. You all must be very skilled to stand alongside The Invincible Girl."

Nora puffed up with pride. "Of course, we're one of the best teams at Beacon."

"I'm sure." Yasmin looked over the rest of Team JNPR. "I am pleased to meet you. I am Yasmin of Team LILY. This is my partner, Lala."

Jaune took a step forward and extended a hand. "My name's Jaune. It's always nice to meet new people."

Yasmin shook Jaune's hand. He extended it towards Lala, but when Lala moved to return it, Yasmin grabbed her hand. She looked at Lala and shook her head.

Lala sighed. "I nearly forgot, I must keep contact with others to a minimum. I am a dangerous creature, after all."

Yasmin felt a faint sense of frustration, like insects gnawing at her skin. From the way the others reacted she knew that Team JNPR could feel it too. She grabbed Lala by the arm and sped off.

"Sorry, I'd love to talk more but we need to get to our class."

"What were you thinking?" she whispered.

"Please forgive me, I was just a little angry," Lala said.

"I know you're angry, but you have to keep your emotions under control."

Lala turned away pouting. "I thought that was what the medicine was for?"

Yasmin clenched a fist. "The medicine does its job, but you have to try too. I know you don't want to go back to Atlas, and I don't want you to either."

"That is true. I have become a fixture in your life. You would be lost without me."

The two of them entered class and saw Iris waving at them. They took their seats next to her and listened in on Professor Port's lecture.

Today's lesson was about Ursa. To his credit, the professor managed to stay mostly on topic, keeping the lecture to things that related to the topic at hand. When he wasn't bragging about his exploits, he proved himself a fount of knowledge.

Port turned towards the class. "Now then, there is one more thing about Ursa that many overlook. What might that be? How about you, Miss Star?"

Iris stood up in her seat. "Ursa are big, but they can be really fast. If they charge into you it's like getting hit by a car."

Port nodded. "That is correct, if strangely worded. The average Ursa weighs nine hundred pounds, and Alphas are even larger. Although they lack the extreme speeds of a Boarbatusk, they are still extremely dangerous. Many Hunters have lost their lives by underestimating a charging Ursa."

Iris smiled knowing she had the right answer.

"Now then, since you got the correct answer, how about you perform the practical application this time?"

Iris' smile quickly fell off of her face.

"D-do I have to?" she said.

"Of course. I assure you there is nothing to be afraid of. I'll give you some time to retrieve your weapon."

Iris sighed and slowly trudged out of the room. Several minutes later something ran into the classroom door with a thud. The door swung open and Iris stumbled in. The class broke into laughter that swiftly went silent as they saw what Iris had dragged in behind her.

Iris' weapon was an axe, on paper anyway. In reality it was a mangled, ugly mess of scrap metal that someone stuck a handle in. It hurt to even look at the thing. Iris hefted that monstrosity as if it was completely weightless.

Iris stood in front of the caged Grimm, trembling all the while. When Port opened the cage and the giant black bear Grimm lumbered out Iris cowered behind her axe. She shuffled backwards with her eyes wrenched shut. The Grimm closed in. She tightened her grip on her weapon, but her body refused to move no matter how much she willed it to.

"Come on, Iris, hit it already!" Lotus shouted.

Iris finally swung her weapon. It was a wild, unfocused swing that missed its target by several inches. The class broke into laughter. It was too comical for words.

Three people, instead of laughing, simply rose from their seats in the front and moved towards the back of the class.

"Where are you guys going?" a student asked.

"Out of the splash zone," Yasmin replied.

Iris' blind barrage continued. She swung her axe as fast and hard as she could. Each strike sent large gusts of wind throughout the room. None of her attacks were even close to on target. But something in the room changed. People began to notice that despite her fear, Iris handled her axe like a veteran fighter. She never lost control of her weapon, no matter how hard she swung, even switching hands to change her angle of attack. Eventually, Iris stopped attacking. She slowly opened an eye and saw the Ursa still standing. The giant black bear saw an opening and charged. It slashed out with its claws, its nails inches from Iris. Iris screamed and swung with all her might. Her strike destroyed the Ursa's body, sending chunks of flesh and sprays of blood all over the room, including the front rows of students. The room suddenly filled with the fetid stench of Grimm blood. Several students were pelted with bits of flesh and sprayed with blood. The stench, stickiness, and for a few very unfortunate individuals taste, assaulted their senses.

Iris heard the screaming and slowly opened one eye. "Is it gone?"

In the back of the classroom, Lotus was doubled over with laughter.

"So that's what it looks like from the outside," she said, wiping a tear from her eye.

"She certainly is something," Yasmin said.

"Such beautiful flowers," Lala mused.

Professor Port cleared his throat. "Well done, Miss Star. Now then, that is all the time we have today. And don't worry, the viscera will dissolve shortly."

XxX

The day ended with sparring like always. The matches played out as normal, and the class was slowly drawing to a close.

"We have time for one last match for the day," Glynda said as she addressed the students. She pressed a button on her scroll and selected two more students.

"Our final match will be Russel Thrush versus Lotus Chahna."

Lotus stood on the stage, a look of obvious disgust drawn across her face. Even for a man, Russel looked like a complete scumbag. Everything from his green mohawk to his ratty clothes to those ugly knives he was so proud of screamed asshole.

Russel either didn't notice the way Lotus was looking at him or didn't care. He slowly licked his lips as his eyes slowly made their way up and down her body.

"You're pretty hot. Hows about you and me have a little more fun after this?"

Lotus' eyelid twitched.

"Begin!" Glynda shouted.

Russel made the first move, rushing forward and slashing with his knives. Lotus easily dodged every attack. He was fast, but she could read him like a book. His rhythm was simple, obvious.

Russel reared back to stab her, but Lotus kicked him on his side just below the ribs, burying her toes in his flesh. Russel immediately fell to his knees, his aura taking a massive hit. Lotus grabbed Russel by the shirt and raised her arm. With a crack, she elbowed Russel hard in the back of his neck. Lotus let of of the unconscious Russel and let him drop to the floor. She rejoined her teammates without even waiting for Glynda to call the match.

"The winner is Lotus Chahna," Glynda announced. "Who can tell me what the deciding factor of this match was?"

In the audience, Pyrrha raised her hand. "The strike to Russel's liver. There are some things aura can't protect you from, like pain, and nothing hurts more than that."

Glynda nodded. "Correct. Understanding the human body is also an essential part of being a hunter. There may come a time where a drawn out battle is out of the question, in which case a swift strike to an enemy's vital areas is your best option."

Glynda looked at her watch. "It seems we have more time than I thought. One last match, then."

She selected two more combatants.

"Interesting. Our final, final match will be Lala Lamb versus Pyrrha Nikos."

Lala's face lit up with excitement. "A duel with a true warrior, I can't wait."

"Be careful," Yasmin said.

Lala rushed to the stage gripping her spear.

Pyrrha smiled and waved at her opponent. "Hello again. I hope we both can enjoy this."

Lala raised her spear and thrust it into the floor.

"Let all eyes be drawn to the stage!" she shouted. She turned around and looked up into the stands expectantly.

Yasmin closed her eyes and inhaled.

"For two souls are to be joined in battle! Witness the clashing of spirits!" Yasmin's voice boomed throughout the arena.

Lala pointed her spear at Pyrrha. "Today, two stars shall rise, and one shall fall. I pray that you are worthy of my spear."

"Begin!" Glynda shouted.

Lala slowly inched towards her opponent, her spear held high above her head.

Then the thrust came, faster than anyone, even Pyrrha could have seen. It crashed into Pyrrha's shield, sending her sliding back.

Lala's attacks were fast and relentless, but every single one missed by a hair. No matter the speed or angle of attack, Lala couldn't land a single hit. But unlike many in the past, Lala was far from discouraged. In fact, she looked like she came to a realization.

"Very interesting. I must change my approach."

Lala took a stance and stood still. She winked at Pyrrha, waiting for her reaction. Pyrrha took her invitation and proceeded to attack.

The two soon found themselves locked in a stalemate. Lala's attacks were incapable of reaching Pyrrha, while Pyrrha was unable to break through Lala's defenses.

This troubled Pyrrha greatly. Lala had that same distant expression she always did, but the way she moved was like she knew which attacks were coming before they happened. Pyrrha wondered if this girl was hiding her true strength.

But all things must end, and this battle was no exception. Little by little, Pyrrha broke Lala down, and was able to seize victory. Pyrrha stood over her defeated opponent, her reputation as unrivaled intact.

"The winner is Pyrrha Nikos," Glynda announced. There was a smattering of applause in the theater.

Pyrrha grabbed Lala's hand and helped her to her feet.

"That was a wonderful battle," she said.

"It seems that I still have far to go," Lala replied.  
Lala left the stage humming to herself and was immediately mobbed by a concerned Yasmin.

"Are you okay?" she asked, poring over Lala searching for injuries.

"Of course, I have suffered worse injuries."

Yasmin sighed. "I know. I'll wait for you to change and we can go back to the room together, alright?"

Lala nodded. "Of course."

XxX

After class had ended, Pyrrha went to the showers to wash the sweat and dirt from her body. Looking around she noticed that the only other student in the showers was the girl she had just fought.

Pyrrha didn't know what to make of this girl. She was an eccentric, but her skills were genuine. Pyrrha looked at the girl's body, covered in dark purplish bruises. Her eyes traveled to the large, jagged scar across the girl's back. She felt a faint heat beneath her skin. Shaking her head she turned the hot water down and resumed her shower. It was then that she heard something fall to the floor. Pyrrha turned and saw that Lala had fallen to the floor. Again, Pyrrha felt like she was running a fever. Ignoring it, she rushed over to the fallen girl. With every step she took, the room grew hotter and hotter. The heat became unbearable, like the inside of an oven.

Pyrrha knelt down next to Lala and extended a hand towards her.

"Are you okay?" she said.

She placed a hand on Lala's shoulder, and at that very moment Pyrrha's body was engulfed in flames. The room suddenly filled with smoke and the smell of burning flesh. Pyrrha looked at her body as her skin blackened and sloughed off of her body. The pain was indescribable. Her lungs filled with smoke. Pyrrha fell to the floor struggling for breath. She stared unblinking at the ceiling, begging for an end to the agony she found herself in.

Seconds later, everything went black, and Pyrrha didn't feel anything anymore.

XxX

Pyrrha slowly opened her eyes. She wasn't in the shower room anymore. From the smell of antiseptic she realized that she was in the infirmary. The blinding white lights burned her eyes.

"What happened?"

"You're okay!" Jaune shouted. He ran to her bed and grabbed her hand.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha groaned. Her eyes snapped open and she jerked her hand free. She ran her fingers over her face and over her body. Her skin was just like she left it, free of burns and still attached to her body.

"What's wrong?" Jaune asked.

"I, how did I get here?" Pyrrha asked.

Nora jumped forward. "Glynda brought you. You were late getting back to the room and we got worried. We were about to look for when she called us."

"She said you were passed out in the showers," Ren said. "What happened?"

"I think it'd be best if I explained that," someone new said.

Pyrrha recognized the girl from that morning. She was uneasy as she stood, gripping at her skirt. She couldn't meet Pyrrha's gaze.

Jaune gestured towards the girl. "She was here before we were."

Yasmin sighed. "I can guess what happened: you felt this heat, and then you felt like you were burning, and then you passed out. Am I correct?"

Pyrrha nodded. "Yes, but how did you know that?"

"I know because I went through the same thing when I first met Lala. It was her Semblance."

"Her Semblance?" Jaune said. "What kind of Semblance does that?"

Yasmin swallowed loudly. "Lala has the ability to link her mind with other people. She doesn't have the best control over it, so its power fluctuates. Sometimes you just feel faint sensations or emotions, while at other times the connection becomes so powerful that you experience her memories. That is what happened to you."

Pyrrha gasped as realization hit her. "Wait, that was her memory? What in the world happened to her?"

Yasmin bit her lip. "I can't tell you. I just want you to know that it wasn't Lala's fault. She can't turn off her Semblance. I'm working with her to help her control it, so if you want to blame anyone you should blame me."

Pyrrha looked at her hands. Even though it was all in her head, she could still feel her skin cracking apart and smoke burning her lungs.

"I don't blame you, or her. Tell Lala that I hope she gets better."

"Thank you," Yasmin said. She turned and left the infirmary.

Jaune sighed. "That was way too heavy."

Ren looked deep in thought. "Isn't it rather dangerous to have someone like that roaming the school. She could have killed you, Pyrrha."

Pyrrha shook her head. "I don't think she's a bad person."

"What makes you say that?" Nora asked.

"If she wanted me dead, she would have done it earlier, and no one would have even known it was her. And then there was what she said before our match. Those words were from a play I saw when I was a child. She has to be a fan. Lala uses a spear just like the heroine of that play, she even dresses like her."

"She must be a fan," Jaune said.

"I think she's incapable of hiding who she really is. When it happened, I felt everything she felt. I felt all of her pain, but I didn't get a single trace of malice. I think we can trust her."

"Still," Nora said, "It can't be easy having a power like that. How does she even manage it?"

"Can she?" Jaune asked.

XxX

Later that night in Team LILY's dorm, Yasmin sat next to Lala's bed. Lala laid in bed, trying and failing to fall asleep.

"Are they mad?" Lala asked.

"No," Yasmin replied. "I explained it to them. I didn't tell them everything, but it was enough. You won't have to worry about Ozpin either. I explained everything to him. He understands that it wasn't your fault."

"Thank you. Are you going to tell the General what happened?"

"I have to. You know that, Lala. Don't worry, we both expected something like this to happen."

"I see. Are you mad at me, Yasmin?"

Yasmin sighed. "No, I'm not. I know it wasn't your fault. I'm going to get something to eat. Do you want me to bring you anything?"

Lala turned away from Yasmin. "I'm not hungry."

Yasmin went to the door. "Alright."

Yasmin gently closed the door behind her. Lala sighed and pulled a blanket over her head.

"There's no point in lying, Yasmin."


	14. Bomb

"Hello again, Class," Professor Alder said. "Today we are going to discuss a certain topic that I feel will be of great interest. You all know the principles of reinforcement, but do you know about Transmission?"

A confused murmur went throughout the class.

"It seems complex, but I assure you that it is much simpler than it seems. It is the act of forcing your aura into your opponent's body. With this technique you can deal an immense amount of damage. It is difficult to explain, but try to imagine your aura flowing throughout your body. Imagine guiding it to a specific point and releasing it."

Professor Alder punched at a wooden post. The post seemed to warp and bend before exploding into thousands of splinters.

Alder turned back toward the class. "Something like that. All of you are to attempt this to the best of your ability, though I understand if you do not learn something like this in a single day. Whoever can show me the highest mastery of this technique will receive extra credit for this assignment."

The students all broke off into groups and studied amongst themselves. In time it became apparent that some students were far ahead of the others. Ren, Giallo, Nigel, Lotus, and Blake had already mastered the technique. Pyrrha, Lucia, Yang, and Yasmin were on the verge of learning it, and everyone else was completely lost.

And at the very bottom of the pile was Rock. He knew nothing of even basic combat tactics, let alone aura. He tried to imagine the aura flowing through his body, guiding it to his fist. He swung his fist, and the air cracked. Rock felt a stabbing pain in his fist and was blown off his feet.

"Another misfire," Nigel remarked. He extended a hand and helped Rock to his feet.

Rock brushed the dirt off of his clothes. "Almost had it that time."

"Maybe you should give it a rest," Giallo said. "I'm surprised you haven't blown your arm off."

Lucia yawned as he sat on the floor, having already completed the assignment. "Anything is possible. I for one would love to see that."

"Shut the fuck up," Rock snapped. He inhaled and tried again, with the exact same result as before.

Rock grumbled to himself and walked to a different area of the classroom. He saw Yasmin with her sword. The blade flashed from its sheath too fast for him to see. His eyes went to Yasmin's target on the other side of the room, split in two.

Rock whistled. "You're pretty good. Where'd you learn to use a sword?"

Yasmin turned to look at Rock. "I had a teacher. They taught me the way of the sword."

"You pick up on this aura shit pretty fast, huh?"

Yasmin sheathed her sword. "If you need some help I would be willing to assist you."

Rock waved dismissively. "Nah, I'll figure it out myself."

Yasmin sighed and resumed her training. "If you insist."

Rock watched Yasmin as she attacked her target over and over, each time shaving off a small portion of the stone pillar.

There was no doubt about her skill with her sword. It took all of Rock's concentration just to see her attack. The blade flashed out in the blink of an eye, and was sheathed just as quickly. But as he watched her, Rock's attention began to drift.

He had realized it just now, but Yasmin wasn't a bad looking girl. Her arms and legs were toned and muscular, her round ears and pointed nose gave her a cute mouse-like appearance, and he couldn't help but notice the way her skirt flew up a little every time she swung her sword. Not enough to actually see anything other than her thighs, but the tease was enough for him. He stared intently, wondering when the magic would happen.

Yasmin was so deep in her concentration that she didn't notice Rock staring at her. She swung her sword again, flashing the faintest hint of her white panties.

_Nice _Rock thought.

"They are lovely, aren't they? Most believe that plain white is boring, but I find it elegant in its simplicity," Lala said, smiling.

Yasmin stopped her attacks and looked at Lala. "What are you talking about?"

"Mr Rock and I were discussing your taste in underwear. He is quite a fan of yours."

Yasmin's eyes went wide as her face turned a deep red. Scowling, she placed a hand on her sword and swung at Rock's neck.

Rock jumped back and put his hands up. "What the hell was that for?"

Yasmin ground her teeth together. "You have the nerve to use me for your prurient interests?"

"You were right there. What was I supposed to do, not look?"

Yasmin turned an even deeper shade of red. She kept swinging her sword, but her anger made her swings sloppy. Rock easily dodged her attacks. Yasmin swung her sword again but felt it get caught on something. Professor Alder had caught the blade's tip between his fingers. He had traveled to the other side of the training hall in the blink of an eye, but he still had that same tired expression.

"This is no place for roughhousing," he said.

Yasmin bowed her head, her cheeks burning. "Please forgive me, Professor."

Professor Alder flicked Yasmin on the forehead. An audible crack was heard and Yasmin fell to the floor clutching her head.

Alder looked down at Yasmin writhing on the ground. "In the future, I would suggest you put that energy towards your education."

Faster than anyone could have realized, the professor buried his fist in Rock's stomach. Rock's vision went white. His stomach burned and his mouth filled up with bile.

"Why me?" he complained.

"I believe in doling out punishments fairly, Mister Rock. Next time it will be detention."

Watching all of this, Nigel shook his head. "I wish he'd take this more seriously."

He turned toward Ruby and watched her swing her scythe, trying and failing to apply the technique herself. She swung her weapon over and over and didn't come any closer to figuring it out. He took a step forward but felt a hand on his shoulder.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Nigel bristled at the familiar sound of his friend's voice. "What, Brook?"

"I thought I saw you about to inflict yourself upon that poor girl and I wanted to know what she did to deserve that."

"I'm offering to help her. What's wrong with that?"

"What's wrong is that you'll infect her with you asshole virus. Under your wing she'll be just as weak and worthless as you. Are you trying to get her killed? Wait, maybe you are. Is that what gets you off? Making everyone else as pathetic as you?"

"What about you?" Nigel snapped. "Do you get some kind of pleasure out of doing this?"

"You already know why I do this."

"Yo, Nigel, what's up?" Rock said.

"Huh?"

Nigel looked around and saw that a few of the other students were staring at him. He looked down and saw that his aura had grown so large that it was visible. Large cracks gouged the floor beneath his feet.

"Oh. Nothing's wrong, I was just thinking about something."

Nigel raised his fist and aimed it at his target, a massive stone pillar. He punched at the air, and in the next instant the pillar was shattered into tiny fragments.

"That's worth extra points, right?"

XxX

The next class was Weapon Crafting and Upkeep. Of course, no one on Team VNGR used a weapon, so to them this was a glorified break time.

Giallo was napping at a workbench while his teammates milled about the workshop. Lucia was studying Jaune's sword, and Jaune, Nigel was trying to understand how Ruby's scythe worked, and Rock was sitting in a chair browsing the internet on his scroll.

Nigel hefted Crescent Rose. "This is way heavier than it looks. You carry this around all day?"

Ruby nodded enthusiastically. "Yep. It's got a scythe mode, rifle mode, and a war glaive mode. I'm not one to toot my own horn but I think I did a pretty good job on this. Oh, don't press that button if you're holding it like that, it'll cut off your fingers."

Nigel whistled. "You're some kind of genius. This weapon crafting stuff makes my head hurt. I tried making my own weapon back at Signal but I could never get my head around it."

"Why don't you ask Ruby to make you a weapon?" Yang said while fiddling with her gauntlets.

Ruby's eyes lit up. "Omigosh I'd be happy to!" She darted all around Nigel imagining all of the things she could equip Nigel with.

"How about some gauntlets like Yang's, or maybe some greaves for your feet? Oh, what about armor? Maybe something to protect your joints? I've seen you use your elbows a lot. I know, how about some brass knuckles that turn into swords?"

Nigel held out his hand. "Ruby. I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I'm good. My hands are the only weapons I need."

Ruby's face fell. "Oh. Okay."

_Shit _Nigel thought.

"Actually, there is something you could help me with. I've been thinking about getting some armor, something that'll protect me but let me keep my mobility. Think you could whip something up for me?"

Ruby whipped out a notebook and started sketching. "Hmm, how about some steel fibers? No, that would make it harder to move. Wait, I've got it! I could weave some chain-mail into your gi. Just give me a few days to get the materials and I'll have it done in a flash."

Seeing Ruby smile lifted Nigel's spirits. "Thanks, I really appreciate it."

Elsewhere in the room, Lucia held up Jaune's sword, admiring the weight and edge.

"This is an impressive blade. Who did you say this belonged to?"

"Technically it's my dad's, but it used to belong to my great grandfather. That sword goes all the way back to the Great War."

"I can tell. This is a warrior's blade. This has taken many lives on the battlefield."

"You can tell something like that?" Pyrrha asked.

"Of course I can. I am a weapon as well, after all. I can recognize when a blade has seen battle, and when it has been well cared for. You are a good owner, Jaune."

"Thanks," Jaune said. "But what do you mean that you're a weapon?"

Lucia stared into the blade. "It is what it seems. I was made to fight from a very young age for a variety of evil and cruel men. After a time, I realized that I was merely a tool to them. But, that is in the past. I am my own man now, and I fight only the battles I choose."

Lucia leaned over, resting his head on Jaune's shoulder. "Although, I wouldn't mind if you were my owner."

Jaune laughed. "Thanks, but I've got a sword already."

"So what happened to the men you were working for?" Nora asked.

"I informed them that I wished to pursue my own ends. They disagreed with my decision, and we came to blows. I won."

Nora stared blankly at Lucia. No one on Team JNPR knew what to make of him. He was clearly a a dangerous man with an army of skeletons in his closet. But, Jaune liked him, and any friend of his was a friend of theirs. At least, that was true for Ren and Nora. In a way, they understood Lucia. Seeing him was like looking into an alternate reality. How close were they to ending up like him? Were they luckier than they initially thought?

Lucia sighed happily as he watched Jaune sharpen his sword. He was something special, that was for certain. Jaune was nothing like the men Lucia had known. He was a kind, upstanding individual. There was no hate, no malice, he was genuine in everything he did. This was uncharted territory for Lucia.

But it wasn't bad. Being around Jaune put him at ease. He didn't feel the urge to hurt anyone around him, he didn't smell blood, he could actually relax.

It felt nice.

Of course, not everyone was able to do the same.

"Give that back, Cardin," Iris pleaded.

Cardin grinned and hefted Iris' axe.

"Why? What does an animal need a weapon for anyway? You're just gonna get slaughtered like cattle in a real fight."

Cardin's disdain for weaklings and Faunus was well known throughout Beacon, and Iris was both. Of course, he would never think of picking on Iris if Lotus and Yasmin were around, but Lotus had ditched class and Yasmin was with Lala, so Iris was left to deal with the bully on her own.

Cardin tossed the axe to his teammate. "Hey Sky, catch."

Sky caught the axe. It crashed into him and sent him to the floor. The massive weight pressed down on his chest, choking him. He struggled to lift the weapon off of him.

Watching this, Cardin doubled over with laughter. "Man, you suck."

"What's wrong with you?" Iris said.

Cardin grinned. "There's nothing wrong with me. I just know the way things work. You're either on top, or you're on the bottom. The world is built for guys like me. We lead armies, rule nations, conquer worlds. But people like you, you're only good for cannon fodder, or in your case, a bed warmer."

Iris balled her fists. In truth, she was just as strong as Cardin, maybe even stronger, but she hated fighting. She would only raise her fists if she absolutely had to, and to her Cardin wasn't worth it. Cardin knew that, and exploited it for all it was worth, and since there was no one around to rebuke him, he took the time to enjoy himself.

Cardin grabbed Iris by her horn. "Honest question, why are you even here? You should know better than anyone that you don't belong here. You'd be better off grazing with the other cattle. Hey, do you moo? I really wanna hear that."

Iris groaned in pain. "Stop that."

Cardin ignored her, laughing all the while. He stopped when he felt someone grab his arm. Rock had his fingers dug into Cardin's forearm, an intense glare on his face.

Cardin let Iris go and turned toward Rock. "The hell do you want?"

"How big's your dick, Cardin?" Rock asked.

Cardin was taken aback. "What kinda question is that?"

"I just wanna know if you've got a fat cock or not, answer the question. I'll have you know I'm pretty hung myself."

"Yeah I got a big dick, big enough to fuck you in half with."

Rock nodded. "Oh, that's great." Then, without a word, he kicked Cardin hard in the groin. The impact could be heard over the whirring machinery. Cardin fell to the ground wincing.

Rock leaned over and looked down at Cardin. "Next time you're jerking off, think of me, won't you?"

"You are fucking dead," Cardin said through clenched teeth.

Rock's face broke into a grin. "Maybe, but I know you're not having any say in it. You're just another two-bit asshole. I've seen a hundred just like you, and every last one of you hasn't ever amounted to shit. Get used to that, by the way. I get the feeling you're gonna be spending a lot of time on your knees."

Cardin stood up and grabbed Rock by his shirt. With next to no effort, Cardin lifted him up and punched him square in the face. A trail of blood flew across the room as Rock went flying.

Cardin laughed. "Is that all you've got? I guess you're only good at talking shit."

"Mister Winchester," the professor said.

"What?" Cardin said. "He started it. I was only defending myself."

"My classroom is no place for violence. Behave yourself, or I will have to inform Professor Goodwitch."

Cardin frowned. "Fine, whatever. I'm getting bored anyway."

Cardin stepped over Rock and left the classroom.

Rock laid on the floor and groaned. "Did anyone get the number of that bus?"

Iris rushed over and helped Rock to his feet. "I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

Rock wiped the blood from his face. "Don't worry about it. I've been hit harder than that."

Giallo yawned, the noise finally waking him from his nap. "Why'd you even get involved? Not like she was in danger or anything."

"I kinda got a zero tolerance policy for assholes."

"Whatever. You know he's gonna be after you now, right?"

"Then I guess I'll have to teach him not to fuck with me."

The bell rang and the students slowly filed out of the classroom. Rock walked next to Iris, repeatedly reassuring her that he didn't blame her for what happened. He had no idea how to deal with her. Nice people always tripped him up.

Thankfully, there was no shortage of assholes at Beacon.

They both heard Lotus stomping down the hallway before they saw her. Rock opened his mouth to speak before Lotus bodily shoved him aside. Lotus grabbed Iris by her nose and pulled her close.

"You. How many times have I told you to stand up for yourself? You wouldn't be having so many problems if you fought back for once."

Iris flailed helplessly. "I don't want to fight anyone. Besides, Cardin's mostly harmless, I can handle him just fine."

"There's nothing noble about letting people walk all over you. Quit being such a doormat."

"How about you lay off her?" Rock said.

"Stay out of this, pissant," Lotus barked. She pointed at Iris. "If I hear that you let one of those jagoffs give you shit again, I'm kicking their ass, and then I'm kicking yours. You got that?"

Lotus turned and walked away, making no attempt to keep from knocking into students in her way.

"She's nice," Rock said.

"Don't think too badly of her," Iris pleaded. "She's... a bit abrasive, but she's nice once you get to know her."

"What? No she isn't."

Iris sighed. "You're right, but it's not that simple. She's been through a lot, and this is just her way of coping."

"Yeah, yeah. We've all got problems, I've heard that one before. You've got to have the patience of a saint to put up with her."

Iris laughed. "Well, I used to babysit kids in my village before I came to Beacon. Children are all the same no matter how old they get. It's all in how you manage them. Oh, please don't tell her I said that, she'll get really angry."

Iris picked Rock up by his waist and wrapped him up in a tight hug. "Thanks again. See you tomorrow."

Iris ran off as Rock waved her goodbye. He was still waving several seconds after she had gone.

_I love Beacon_.

XxX

At the end of the day, Glynda stood on the stage tapping her foot in frustration. There were multiple bulging veins visible in her face. It was incredibly obvious that she was angry about something, and it didn't take long for her to find the source of her anger.

"It would appear that _some_ of you have a bit of excess energy. I understand, I have the same problem sometimes. Sometimes I feel like I just have to break something, or someone. Luckily, my class offers the perfect opportunity to let off some steam."

Two screens slid down out of the ceiling. Glynda pressed a button on her scroll and selected two combatants.

"Oh my, what a coincidence," Glynda said, feigned shock hanging off of every word. "It would appear that our first combatants will be Mister Winchester and Mister Rock. Both of you, proceed to the stage."

Rock sighed and went up to the stage. He couldn't complain, Cardin was a problem that he'd have to deal with eventually, and now was as good a time as any.

He could feel his confidence fading as he saw Cardin walking up the other side. No longer dressed in his uniform, he wore a grey breastplate and combat boots. But what drew Rock's eye was Cardin's weapon, a cruel looking mace with a red crystal embedded in the head.

Cardin picked up on that. He grinned and hefted his weapon. "What's wrong? You're not scared, are you? You can always run away."

Rock scoffed. "I've never ran from anyone, and I'm not about to start today."

"It's your funeral."

"Begin!" Glynda shouted.

At the signal, Cardin swung downward at Rock. Rock jumped to the side as the ground exploded next to him.

Rock's fist flashed upwards, striking Cardin on the chin. Cardin didn't even flinch, batting Rock away with his arm. Rock gasped. Cardin's fist was as heavy as a Grimm's,

Rock had fought big guys before, but Cardin was a walking slab of muscle. He could take as much as he gave out. Trying to match him blow for blow would be a losing battle. There was another way, but he wondered if it would even work.

His thoughts were interrupted by Cardin's mace flying at his head. Rock ducked down and kicked out at Cardin's foot. Cardin was knocked off balance and fell onto his back. Rock climbed into a mount position and hammered Cardin's face with blows. Cardin's aura slowly trickled down, but it wasn't nearly enough.

Cardin started laughing. "Is that all you've got? Your weak-ass fists couldn't even kill a kitten."

Cardin hooked his fist into Rock's ribcage. Rock gasped and rolled over clutching his side when Cardin's boot crashed into his face.

Cardin looked down at Rock. "Get up. I'm not done with you yet."

Rock crawled to his feet and shook his head. He took a deep breath and drew back his fist. The air surrounding him gathered around his fist. Powerful gusts of wind blew across the stage. Rock could feel the power. He unleashed his attack, but it misfired, destroying the stage in front of him but failing to reach Cardin.

Rock looked down at his hand. "A misfire? Shit, I thought I had it that time. I did it just like the book said."

He looked at his aura reading on the screen. That attack had taken a lot of energy. At most, he had two more before he was out of the fight. He grumbled and kicked a rock. He was on the verge of losing, and it was all for nothing.

Rock decided to go on the offensive, peppering Cardin with punches and kicks. Knocking him out wasn't an option. He didn't have enough strength to break through his defenses. The best he could hope for was to win by decision.

Cardin took the blows, waiting for the right moment. There was a small gap in Rock's attacks. That was the moment he was waiting for. Cardin swung his mace with all his might. Rock's eyes went wide. He put up his arm to block, but it wouldn't be enough. Defending would take too much aura.

There was an audible pop as Rock's aura disappeared, followed by the sound of his arm breaking as Cardin's mace struck him.

A loud gasp echoed through the theater. A few students looked away, some turned green, and a few smiled at Rock's injury.

Rock's body was sent flying. He propped himself up with his good arm, grinding his teeth to keep from screaming. He panted heavily, struggling to stand up. The pain made him want to pass out.

"That's enough," Glynda shouted. "Both of you, stand down this instant."

For a moment, Rock considered giving up. He wanted to run, to not have to fight someone like this. He had never had to. If he were back in Mistral, then anyone who gave him a problem would end up stuffed in the trunk of a car and sent into a lake. That wasn't an option anymore. He decided to become a Huntsman, and he intended to beat Cardin like a Huntsman.

Rock chuckled and pointed at the monitor. "Look at the screen. I haven't lost yet."

Glynda looked at the monitor. True enough, Rock's aura was above the limit for elimination.

Glynda ground her teeth. "This is no time for bravado. Go to the infirmary this instant."

Rock shook his head. "I'll take whatever punishment you give me, just let me finish this fight. Please."

Glynda sighed. "Do as you wish. The match will continue."

Cardin had long since stopped smiling. He looked into Rock's eyes, his spirit hadn't flagged yet.

"All right, I admit. You've got balls, but you need more than that to beat me."

Rock smiled. "Yeah, you're definitely stronger than I am, but that doesn't mean shit. I'm gonna win, just watch."

Rock ignored the bone stabbing into his flesh and charged in. Cardin swung down with his mace. Rock dodged and kicked Cardin square in the face. Cardin stumbled backwards. Rock grabbed Cardin's wrist. A high pitched whine sounded from his body. Cardin's fist flew into Rock's face. Rock refused to let go. Cardin began to pummel Rock's face, bruising his flesh breaking his bones. Still, Rock refused to let go. Cardin threw another punch, but the stage was engulfed by an explosion. Dust, smoke, and debris flew in every direction. The buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the match.

When the smoke cleared, Rock alone was left standing. His right arm was mangled, he was covered in burns, and the ground was stained with his blood. A look at the monitor showed that both his and Cardin's aura was completely depleted.

Glynda sighed. "This match has ended in a draw. A suicide attack does have its uses, but that you were forced to resort to such a tactic is merely proof of your inadequacy."

Rock nodded, right before he passed out.

XxX

When Rock opened his eyes he realized that he was in the sterile white infirmary. His arm was in a cast and there were bandages covering his face and arm.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" Giallo said.

"Don't be like that," Lucia said. "Rock did his best, and he did seize victory."

Lucia turned to look at Rock. "I apologize for calling you a coward. You are more courageous than I thought."

Lucia leaned forward and planted a kiss on Rock's cheek.

"You have done well," he said with a smile.

Nigel grabbed Rock's good hand and examined it.

"Good, nothing's broken."

"What's up?" Rock asked.

:That technique you used, where did you learn that?"

"Huh? We went over it in class earlier."

Nigel shook his head. "There's no way you could have done that following the book. Be honest, what did you do?"

Rock paused for a moment. "Well, I thought about what Gramps said about feeling the flow of aura, but then I thought 'what if it spun?' I mean, spinning makes things more powerful, doesn't it?"

The mood in the room changed in an instant. Lucia, Giallo, and Nigel all exchanged a look.

"Rock, do you understand what you did?"

Rock shrugged. "Not really. Fucking thing didn't even work."

"That was an advanced technique," Lucia said. "And you said that you did it without even trying?"

"I'm gonna be honest with you, I got bored reading the book and just did whatever. It just felt right."

"You are something else," Giallo said.

"I guess I'm pretty amazing, huh?"

"Don't get conceited," Nigel snapped. "You just got lucky. If that misfire happened a second earlier you would have lost that hand. Why would you even try something like that on Cardin anyway? If you actually knew how to fight, you wouldn't have had to rely on such suicidal tactics."

Rock sighed. "Can't let me have a single moment, can you?"

"No. I'm your partner, and that means that I look out for you."

Nigel paused for a moment. "All right, I've decided. From now on, you're my disciple."

Rock stared at Nigel. "That is uncharacteristically assertive of you, Nigel. Why even make me your student?"

"Because you've got a long way to go. Right now, you're a D. Cardin was a C, Lucia and I are both A, and Giallo is... Giallo. You've got what it takes, I see that now, but you need a good teacher, someone to show you how to use the power you have."

Rock pondered the idea. Nigel was right, he needed far more power than he had now. If he struggled this much against Cardin, taking down his mother was out of the question.

"Okay. Looking forward to working with you, boss."

"First of all, you call me 'sensei' from now on," Nigel snapped.

Rock sighed. "Fine, sensei."


	15. Turned Down

Nigel's least favorite class was "The Legends of Remnant" by a wide margin. It was just two hours of listening to Oobleck tell the class about famous huntsmen. It was nothing more than propaganda as far as Nigel was concerned. Anything to sell the image of huntsmen to the public. Just listening to these people being glorified grated on his nerves. Not enough people knew the truth about Hunters or the savagery they were capable of. The scar on his chest ached, the pain growing every second.

Still, it wasn't all bad. As he looked at Ruby, eyes wide and excitedly taking notes, he felt a little happy. She was just like her in so many ways. Just seeing her put Nigel at ease.

"Dude, I know she's cute but you gotta stop staring. She's gonna think you're a creep," Rock whispered. Nigel looked over at Rock. His arm was still in a cast and his face was covered in bandages.

"I wasn't staring," Nigel replied.

"Why don't you just ask her out if you're into her like that? All that pining from afar shit is for the birds."

"I told you it's not like that. It's something else. I just want to-"

The professor loudly cleared his throat. "My apologies if my class is boring you. Perhaps you could suggest a more interesting topic."

Nigel stiffened, but he noticed that Oobleck was addressing another student.

Lotus lifted her head off of the table, a line of drool clinging to her lips.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. This class is really boring so I fell asleep."

Oobleck frowned slightly. "I understand you'd rather be engaged in more physical activities, but this is important as well. To know the past is to know the future. Researching the warriors of the past, how they fought, how they died, will give us greater insights on how to fight in the present."

Lotus yawned. "All due respect, I've got nothing to learn from a bunch of dead guys. They fought, then they died, same as everyone else in history."

"These men and women weren't just warriors, they were heroes. Their actions cleared the path that all of us follow to this day."

Lotus snorted with laughter. "Heroes? That's a good joke. A hero is something the people wipe their ass with. They spend their entire lives fighting with nothing to show for it, sacrificing everything for some ungrateful bitches too weak to fight their own battles, and then they die. No way is there anything I can learn from them. Fighting for others is a waste of time. They'll use you up and spit you out as soon as they don't need you anymore. You'd have to be a fucking idiot to want to be like them."

The professor's eyebrows raised slightly. "That is certainly an interesting perspective. Perhaps you and I could discuss it during detention. The classroom is no place for profanity, Miss Chana."

Lotus groaned. "Are you kidding me?"

After class ended, Nigel listened to Ruby jabber on excitedly about class. There was no stopping her once she got going.

"I see you enjoyed it," Nigel said.

"Yeah I did." Her face curled into a frown when she saw Lotus ahead of her. She was dragging Iris along by her nose with a vicious scowl on her face.

"What is that girl's problem?"

Rock shrugged. "Some people are just like that. I've known a few like her myself. Still, I can't really say I disagree with what she was saying."

"Meaning?" Yang said.

"I mean that even if you want to be a good person, this isn't a good place. This world will grind you down into nothing if you let it. It's a cold world, and you've gotta be cold to survive."

Nigel felt a throbbing pain in his chest. "I wish I could say you were wrong. If you're weak, then you live and die at the whims of the strong."

"But isn't that why we're here?" Ruby interjected. "I know how hard the world can be, that's why I wanted to become a huntress, to make it better, even a little."

Nigel planted a hand on Ruby's head. "You're a good kid, Ruby."

Yang grinned. "Oh? Is this the blossoming of romance I see?"

Nigel yanked his hand away. "No, it's not like that. I just..."

Nigel's face fell. The others could see the way his jaw tightened. Ruby and Yang backed away.

Yang put her hands up. "Forget I said anything."

Rock yawned. "My arm is acting up. I'm gonna take the rest of the day off. You guys take notes for me, ok?"

After class ended, Nigel went by himself to train. It was the only way to take his mind off of earlier. He knew what he was signing up for, but it still grated on him. How much longer would he have to listen to these people being venerated.

"Come on, you can't tell me you're not curious," Brooke teased. "You think maybe _he _has his own chapter? Maybe the whole class will learn what happened. That would be interesting, wouldn't it? All your friends and classmates learning what a failure you are. I bet none of them will ever talk to you again. They'd never want to be friends with someone like you."

Nigel punched the heavy bag. "Be quiet."

"Oh, don't be like that. It'd be such a relief to get something like that off your chest. Be proud of it, most people wouldn't have the guts to keep living after screwing up as bad as you did."

"I didn't screw up. I made things right."

"After it was already too late."

Nigel ground his teeth and kicked the bag. He attacked more and more until all he could hear was the sounds of his hands and feet striking leather. He felt himself getting into a groove. A groove that he was yanked out of when he saw a flash of light around him. He stopped and turned around and saw a girl pointing a camera at him. He recognized the girl from before.

Velvet let out a nervous chuckle. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

"It's alright," Nigel replied. "Why did you take a picture of me?"

"It's a hobby of mine. I like taking pictures of people." Her eyes went to the still smoking heavy bag. "You were really going at it. How long have you been doing karate?"

Nigel rubbed the back of his head. "Most of my life. I got started when I was about eleven, and I got my black belt a few years ago. It's a lot of fun. I could teach you a couple things if you're interested."

Velvet took an identical stance to to the one Nigel had before. "I've always wanted to learn how to fight hand to hand."

She punched at the bag. Her eyes widened as her hand throbbed with pain.

"Owww. What's in that bag?"

"Rocks," Nigel answered casually.

Velvet did a double take. "Rocks? You've been punching a bag full of rocks? Doesn't that hurt?"

Nigel shrugged. "It's not so bad. You get used to it after a while. If you're serious about karate you're gonna really mess up your hands. I've broken all my fingers before, lost all my fingernails, had the skin on my hands stripped off, and one time my hands swelled up so much I couldn't even make a fist."

Velvet felt like throwing up. "That's horrible."

"It's really not that bad, and if you just want to learn the basics then you don't have to do all that. To be honest, there aren't that many people that serious about hand to hand combat these days. If you're looking for something to fall back on then all you really need is the basics. If you want to learn, I'd be more than happy to teach you."

Velvet smiled. "I'd love to learn from you."

Nigel smiled. "Great, let's get started... as soon as the feeling in my hands comes back."

XxX

Rock walked away and went to his room. His arm throbbed painfully. He knew that with his aura he'd be able to repair the fracture in seconds, but the technique was beyond him. Besides, who would he be if he didn't take an excuse to cut class.

He took two painkillers and flopped onto the bed. He closed his eyes and waited for sleep to take him.

XxX

Rock didn't know if that cracking sound filling his ears was the floor breaking or his skull shattering. Either way, getting slammed into the floor made the wood feel like concrete.

"Ow! That hurt!" Rock shouted.

The old man stepped over the boy and grabbed a bottle off of a table. He drank deep and grimaced at the child writhing in pain on the floor.

"Course it hurts, yer lucky I didn't break yer neck. Fuck were you thinkin' breakin' into my house tryin' to steal from me?"

Rock gripped the knife in his hand and jumped up. He stabbed at the old man, but the blade seemed to bounce off of his skin. A strange light came off of the man's body.

The old man laughed "Keep going as long as you like, that ain't doin shit to me. Didn't yer parents teach you any common sense?"

Rock spat out a glob of blood. "Don't got any parents."

The old man took a closer look at Rock. "Yeah, I sorta figured. No shortage 'a orphans in this part of town. I can tell ya got heart, but ya got no skill. That'll get ya killed out here. The next guy you point that knife at'll just snap yer neck and keep moving. If you like, I could teach ya a couple things."

Rock relaxed slightly. "Okay. Tell me how to get stronger."

The old man grinned, then kicked the small child square in the face.

"Time fer yer first lesson, boy."

XxX

Rock grumbled as he woke up. He hated begin reminded of his childhood. That was the strangest dream he had ever had. It couldn't even be called a dream. It was like he was looking through a window into his own past. Pushing the dream out of his mind, he dragged himself out of bed.

He could hear people shouting outside his door. Looking at the clock he saw that classes ended two hours ago. Yawning, he climbed out of bed and went into the hall.

Outside he saw Yasmin and Weiss staring daggers at each other. Both of them looked angry about something. Well, angrier than usual.

"Why won't you let me see her?" Weiss demanded.

"Because I don't want to," Yasmin replied.

"Why not? I'm her friend."

Yasmin's eyebrow raised. "Is that right? I visited Lala in that place every day. I never saw you once. Some friend you are."

Weiss ground her teeth. "I thought she was dead, we all did."

"What do you even want with her? Some photo op for your father with the miraculous survivor of the Lamb family? You Schnees are all the same, you just use people and toss them aside like trash."

Weiss recoiled like she'd been struck. "It's not like that. I just want to talk to her."

"Stay the hell away from Lala. I took it easy on you last time, there won't be another."

"What the fuck is all this?" Rock interrupted.

"What do you want?" Yasmin asked.

"I wanna know who is making all this noise outside my door when I'm trying to sleep. What is all this about anyway?"

"It's none of your concern. Weiss was just leaving, actually."

Weiss made a noise of disapproval and turned to leave.

Rock ran a hand through his hair. "Listen, whatever is going on between you and the Schnee girl, could you keep it down, or at least away from my door?"

Yasmin sighed. "I apologize. I did not mean to be a nuisance."

"It's alright." Rock's stomach started growling. "Man, I'm hungry. I hope they're still serving dinner."

"I see. What would you like to eat?"

"What?"

"I believe in paying my debts. The one I owe to you is minor, easily repaid by procuring food for you. Besides, I doubt you could gather as much food as you like with only one arm."

Rock shrugged. "Alright. I'm not gonna say no. Just get me some meat and rice, okay?"

Yasmin nodded. "Very well. I will be back shortly."

Yasmin ran down the hall and disappeared. Rock shrugged and stood by the door to his room. After a few moments he grew bored. He noticed that Team LILY's dorm was right across the hall, and the door was opened slightly. Curiosity overtook him. He crossed the hall and pried the door open. The room was empty, save for one girl asleep in bed. He recalled that the one with green hair was called Lala. Rock suddenly started shivering. The room was freezing cold, like there was a blizzard.

"nnng"

He noticed that Lala was shivering as well. Even under those heavy looking blankets she was still cold. Rock ignored numbness in his face and went over to the bed.

"You alright?" he asked. He placed a hand on her shoulder and felt the floor fall out from under him. The dorm room disappeared, and he was suddenly surrounded by skyscrapers staring up at the night sky. Snow fell all around him as crowds of people walked the streets. Rock found himself standing next to a young girl wearing an expensive looking coat with fur trimming. She skipped happily up the sidewalk with two people who looked like her parents following close behind.

Suddenly, the girl stopped and darted down an alley. Her parents hurried behind her and found her standing over another girl. It was clear that the girl was homeless. Her clothes were torn and filthy, her body was thin and malnourished, and her hair was long and unkempt. The girl in the coat knelt down and reached a hand out, brushing her fingers against the round, fuzzy ears atop the unconscious girl's head.

"Lala! Get away from that thing!" the girl's father shouted.

"Look at this girl, father, she looks like she hasn't eaten in days," Lala pleaded.

"That is none of our concern. Let Public Safety handle this."

"Public Safety will just send her to an orphanage, and then she'll end up back on the street. Father, please let me take her home."

Lala's father puffed up with anger. "I have little patience for another one of your flights of fancy. You have more than enough to entertain yourself with at home without bringing that vagrant with you."

"What if she's diseased, or a thief?" Lala's mother asked. "This could just all be part of some scheme."

Lala shook her head. "I don't care. You both taught me to be an upstanding citizen, how could I do that if I ignored someone who needs help? If I lose some things, then that's fine."

Rock felt a hand on his shoulder pulling him from the vision. In the next moment, he was back in the room with Yasmin standing behind him. She had gotten him dinner like she said, balancing the plate with one hand while the other gripped his shoulder hard enough to break it.

"What are you doing in here?" Yasmin said through gritted teeth.

"What am I doing? What the fuck was that?" He gestured towards Lala. "Is she why I've been having all those fucked up dreams lately?"

"Yes, Lala's semblance is active even when she sleeps. I would advise you to keep your distance. If she were to lose control of it in the future, it may kill you." She shoved the plate into Rock's hand. "There, I have repaid my debt to you, now leave."

"Fine, whatever." As he left, something occurred to him.

"That girl in the alley, that was you, right?"

Yasmin's face flashed with anger, but it faded just as quickly. She clenched her fist as her teeth dug into her lower lip.

"I do not wish to talk about it."

Rock sighed. "Sorry, I guess that's a sore spot." He looked up at the peaked cap Yasmin always wore. "It's a shame you're covering up your ears with that hat of yours. They're really cute."

Yasmin's face was blank. "I see. It seems you don't understand."

Slowly, Yasmin removed her hat. Rock let out a low whistle when he saw what was underneath.

Yasmin's ears were gone.


	16. Run Up, Get Done Up

Rock followed Nigel as the two traveled through Vale. The streets were just as packed with people as always. Looking around Rock saw a few stores with broken windows overlaid with police tape. Police officers were milling about taking notes on the crime scene. Looking at the signs, all the stores that had been hit were either dust shops or weapon stores.

_Must be the Torchwick gang. I wonder what their boss is like? _Rock thought.

"So where did you say we were going?" he asked.

Nigel weaved through the crowd, taking extra care not to bump into anyone. "I'm taking you to my master. He helped me get stronger, I'm sure he can help you."

After more walking, they arrived at a small studio with large glass windows. Above the door was a sign that read "Six Paths Karate School".

Walking through the door, they saw a group of children practicing with an older man in a white gi directing them. They moved like well trained fighters, going from stance to stance without missing a beat. They were all quite skilled despite how young they looked. None of them could have been older than ten or eleven.

"Alright," the man said, "that's enough for today. Our next class is on Monday. Remember your training, and always conduct yourselves as warriors."

"Yes, Sensei!" the children shouted in unison.

Nigel waved at the group of children. "Hey, you guys."

One of the kids turned and smiled. "Nigel!"

Immediately Nigel was mobbed by at least a dozen children. They clung to his legs, hung from his arms, and climbed onto his shoulders. He was barely visible beneath the pile.

Nigel laughed as he tried to move with so many children clinging to him. "Hey, you guys. It's good to see you too."

"Where'd you go?" one of the children asked.

"You've been gone for forever!"

"We thought you were dead!"

"Do you have any candy?"

Nigel laughed."Sorry, no candy today. And I didn't die, I enrolled in Beacon. Sorry I haven't been around as much."

The children's eyes went wide.

"You're gonna be a Hunter? That's so cool."

"I wanna be a hunter!"

"Me too!"

The older man loudly cleared his throat. "If you wish to become a Hunter, then do not neglect your training. Now, will you please let go of my student?"

"Yes, sensei," the children responded. They let Nigel go and bowed to him.

Rock suppressed a laugh. "You're pretty popular, huh?"

Nigel scratched the back of his head. "I guess I'm something like an authority figure."

Nigel bowed at the older man. "It's good to see you again, Clay-sensei."

Rock took a closer look at Clay. He certainly didn't look the part, with a bald head, bushy brown beard and glasses. The man looked like a total nerd, which made it clear that he was Nigel's teacher. But Rock knew better than to judge from first impressions. Rock could tell that this man had spent his life training. His hands were thick with callouses, and his face and arms were covered with scars. What he had gone through to reach this point Rock could only imagine.

Clay clapped Nigel on the back. "It's always good to see you, Nigel. What brings you here?"

"Actually, I came to see if you could help my friend, Rock."

Rock's eyes went to the wall of trophies and medals by the door. There were first place trophies for tournaments, festivals, fighting associations, and more. In addition, there were framed newspaper clippings describing heroic deeds performed by the dojo's students, and even a few movie posters. Some of these people Rock even recognized.

"I admit, this is impressive," Rock said.

Clay laughed. "Yep, this school has a storied history. My students have all gone on to do great things, some of them have even gone on to be Huntsmen, like Nigel here."

"That reminds me," Nigel said, "I need to thank you for that letter you wrote for me. I don't think I could have gotten into Beacon without your help."

Rock raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you go to Signal? Why would you have trouble getting into Beacon?"

"Dude, I was only in school for two weeks. I failed every class. If it weren't for the letter of recommendation Clay-sensei wrote I never would have gotten in."

Clay waved him off. "It was nothing. You're one of the best students I've ever had."

Nigel blushed. "Thanks. Actually, I wanted to ask about that. Do you have anyone that could spar against my friend?"

Clay placed a hand on his chin. "Ordinarily I only train students, but for you I'll make an exception. Take this and head upstairs, the adult class should be wrapping up soon."

He went over to a closet and tossed Rock a bundled up gi.

"Go and get changed and then we can get started."

Rock and Nigel climbed up a flight of stairs. Once they arrived at their floor, they made their way to a room near the back of a nearby hallway. Immediately Rock was thrown by the sight before him. The room was filled with men who looked well into their thirties and forties punching and kicking the life out of each other. The air stank of sweat and blood. The grunts and screams of these hardened warriors filled the air as they used their fists to beat each other into submission.

"Yeah, this is more what I was expecting," Rock remarked.

"Um, hi everyone," Nigel said.

Immediately everyone in the room dropped what they were doing to line up and greet Nigel. These were hard looking men, all of them looked like they knew combat, but they all treated this shivering teenager with the utmost respect. Rock didn't understand at all.

One of the men in front bowed. "Hello, sensei. What are you doing here? Is it time for another evaluation?"

Nigel scratched at the back of his head. "You can relax. I'm just here to help out my friend." He gestured towards Rock. "I want you all to spar with him. I'm trying to initiate him into the basics of combat. Please be nice to him."

"Wait?" Rock said. "Why don't I just spar with you, Nigel?"

The room erupted with laughter.

"Trust me, kid, you're not there yet." one man said.

Rock felt a twinge of annoyance. "Fine, so whose ass am I kicking first?"

A large, burly man stepped up. This one looked more up Rock's alley. Huge, knotted muscles, a face covered in scars, and a missing right ear. This was someone who really got down.

"Ferro, you're up first," Nigel said.

Rock started to grin. "Alright, try not to cry when you lose, okay?"

Ferro ignored Rock's jab. "So, how are we doing this, sensei?"

Nigel thought for a moment. "Do it like normal. Three minutes, full contact, no aura."

Ferro threw the first punch. Rock raised his arm to block, but the impact seemed to pass right through his arm and into his head. The blow knocked him off his feet onto his back. Rock's vision swam. That wasn't a normal punch.

Rock rolled out of the way before Ferro's fist crashed into his head. Rock sprang to his feet and decided to attack. He grabbed Ferro's gi and battered his face with punches, but Ferro didn't so much as flinch.

"Man, you're weak," Ferro complained, his voice heavy with disappointment. "Forget not knowing the basics, you're a complete amateur. What does Nigel even see in you?"

Rock ground his teeth. He threw another punch, but then Ferro's fist shot straight into his stomach. It was heavy, much heavier than anything he'd been hit with before. Rock slumped over clutching his abdomen. It felt like someone had stirred up his insides with a fork.

"Had enough yet?" Ferro taunted.

"In your dreams," Rock grunted.

He reared back for a punch when a shrill whistle pierced his ears.

"That's enough," Nigel said. "Everyone switch. Rock, come over here."

Rock wiped the blood off of his face and went to Nigel.

"I have to admit, you did better than I thought you would," Nigel remarked.

"What exactly am I supposed to be learning here?" Rock said.

"If I told you, that'd defeat the purpose. Think, why were Ferro's fists so heavy? Why couldn't you hurt him at all?"

"I wouldn't have come if I knew you were gonna give me homework," Rock grumbled.

Nigel clapped Rock on the back. "Trust me, it's not something I can explain. Just try and see it for yourself."

Rock went back onto the floor and faced his next opponent. This fight went about the same as the last one. None of his attacks could do any real damage, and he couldn't defend himself properly. He grew more and more frustrated, until he had a realization. He observed his opponent: How they moved, the positions of their arms and feet, how their bodies moved when they attacked. He took in every detail that he could. He corrected his posture, positioned his feet properly, and when he punched he punched with his entire body instead of just his arm.

The difference was like night and day. His strikes had more power, he was steadier on his feet, he could feel himself improving with every exchange. It was like he was on a high. He wanted to keep fighting all night.

The shrill whistle brought him back down to the ground.

Nigel could barely contain his excitement. "You did it! I knew you could."

"You're right. I feel different," Rock replied.

"You're using less energy now. Before, you were straining yourself too much and tiring yourself out faster. It's a mistake even expert fighters make. On top of that, you've even got some proper footwork down. You've found your foundation. From here, you can only get stronger."

Rock smiled. "Thanks, man. I appreciate you helping me. So, are we done here?"

"What? Are you stupid or something? You're not leaving until you finish."

Rock turned back towards the waiting group. "You mean I have to spar with all of them? There's like fifty guys here."

Nigel pushed Rock back onto the floor. "Hop to it."

Rock continued his sparring. By the time he was finished, it was already nighttime and he was doused with sweat and struggling for breath.

"Thank you all for helping me today," Nigel said. "Continue to strive for greater heights, and never forget to conduct yourselves as warriors at all times."

"Yes, Sensei!" the men shouted.

As they filed out of the room, Nigel knelt down next to Rock and offered him a bottle of water.

"Great job out there."

Rock dumped the water over his head. "Thanks. Man, this is hard. Did you have to spar against all those guys when you first started?"

Nigel shrugged. "It wasn't that bad. Besides, I didn't spar against those guys, I beat them."

Rock did a double take. "You what?"

Nigel pointed at the black belt tied around his waist. "How do you think I got this?"

After saying goodbye to everyone, Nigel and Rock left the dojo and went back through the streets.

"Thanks, man. I appreciate you looking out for me. You're actually a pretty good teacher."

Nigel grinned. "I would hope so. I want to open my own dojo someday. After I become a Hunter I'll start saving up money."

"That's a nice dream," Rock said. "How'd you even get started with all this anyway?"

Nigel chuckled nervously. "This is kind of embarrassing, but after I almost died I didn't leave my room for months. I was in a really bad way. Some things happened, and then I was introduced to Clay-sensei. I've been his student ever since."

"Good thing you found something you like. A guy like you would end up stealing girls' underwear if you were left by yourself too long."

Nigel frowned. "Gee, thanks. Next time I see you getting beat to death I'll just let them kill you."

Rock nudged Nigel in the side. "Come on, it was a joke. You're a stand up kid, Nigel. You'd at least ask a chick for her panties first."

XxX

Detective Cotton found the chaos of the homicide division oddly relaxing. The endless clacking of keys, the ringing phones, the dozens of conversations all happening at once, and the smell of burnt coffee always helped to put him at ease. He felt like a raft drifting in the ocean.

But peace was merely an illusion, as he was often reminded. Now, with the unit's lieutenant bearing down on him, today was going to be another reminder of how fragile the illusion of peace truly was.

The old, haggard cop stood in front of Cotton's desk. His weathered, scarred face had an uncharacteristically cheery smile on his face. Many words could be used to describe the Lieutenant Marble, but cheerful was not one of them.

Cotton sighed. "Do you need something?"

"Detective Cotton, I was just wondering if you've made any progress on your investigation, because I know a smart, dedicated and might I say quite handsome detective such as yourself wouldn't be lazing around while nineteen murders remain unsolved. I just know that you're on the verge of a breakthrough that will blow this case wide open. Now go on, tell me what you've got."

Cotton looked down at his file. "The investigation is ongoing pending new developments."

The lieutenant's cheery smile fell off of his face, replaced with a vicious scowl. "Well I hope something pends soon, because I just got off the phone with the deputy chief, and he made it very clear that if this case isn't solved in a timely manner then he's going to take a shit all over me, and if he does then I in turn will shit all over you. Either this case falls or I'm going to bury you so deep you'll spend the rest of your career as a fucking crossing guard. Now do your job,"

The lieutenant stormed off. Cotton went back to gazing at crime scene photos. He didn't even need to look up to notice that Detective Salt had slid up behind him.

"Marble's a real ray of sunshine, huh? But it's not that bad, from what the other guys say he'll at least give you a reach around when he fucks you."

Cotton grunted in response.

"So," Salt began, "have you made any progress on that case?"

"Do you think I'm stupid or something? I figured it out three days ago. The dead bangers all belong to the Black Knuckles. They were moving dope, guns, and off market Dust, but after Torchwick rolled into town they started downsizing. These days they do work for whoever'll take em. The killer is probably looking for the gang's boss."

He handed Salt a thick folder. "That is one piece of work. All the shit he's done he's bound to have racked up his share of enemies, and now one of them is looking to take him out."

Salt nodded. "So if we just hang around the boss, our suspect is bound to show himself eventually? But, what are we gonna do when we find them? Anyone capable of all that death isn't just gonna come along quietly."

Cotton laughed. "What makes you think we're gonna bring him in?"

Salt's brow furrowed. "You're not thinking of what I think you are, are you?"

"I think it's time I called those two young lads and update them on our investigation."

"Are you insane? Letting them into a crime scene is one thing, but actively using them in the investigation is all kinds of illegal. We could both go to prison. Not to mention the kind of shit storm we'd be in for if something happened to those kids. Forget the lieutenant, do you really want to get on Ozpin's bad side?"

"If anyone asks, I'll just say that these are exigent circumstances. Besides, they're hunters, they should be used to taking risks."


	17. Gangin

"You want me to do what?" Rock said.

It was the middle of the day when his scroll rang, and when he answered it he found that it was that detective he met before. Normally he'd hang up whenever a cop called him, but adjusting to a new life meant doing things he wasn't used to.

"Like I said, I want you to bring in a bounty for me. He's got some charges pending but he skipped his court date. I figure since you owe me a solid you'd be more than happy to take care of it for me."

"What about that other thing?"

"I'm busy with that, which is why I'm asking you for this. You'll be fine, you're a hunter. Call me when you get it done, kid."

The line went dead. Rock looked at the file he had been sent.  
"He wasn't kidding about this guy. Priors for possession, assault, and a couple domestics too. He put two girlfriends in the hospital and another OD'd. He got her hooked on the shit he was slinging and then got her killed. That's fucked up."

"Want us to come with you?" Giallo asked.

Rock shook his head. "Nah, I'm good. I'm used to hunting down assholes. It'll be just like back home."

Rock left the school,and a few minutes later was in the city looking for his target. But first, he needed supplies. A manhunt couldn't be conducted on an empty stomach, after all. With that in mind, he went the usual route and stopped at his usual spot. He heard the ringing of a bell when he walked into store, along with the familiar sounds of airy string music being played over a worn out speaker system. He went around the store gathering supplies.

_Still no sour patch _he thought. Setting aside his disappointment, he brought his items to the counter. Instead of the old woman he was used to, a much younger woman was working the register. She looked only a few years older than Rock.

"Find everything okay?" she asked.

Rock nodded, continuing to observe the woman. Something about her looked familiar, but he couldn't figure out what.

The woman chuckled softly. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to be Rock, would you?"

Rock fought the urge to bolt from the store. "Yeah. Why?"

"My grandma talks about you all the time. She says you come in hear almost every day and always get the same things. I just thought it was interesting is all."

Rock relaxed slightly. "Oh. I didn't think that she thought of me that much."

"Are you kidding me? She talks all the time about how you helped her with this problem or that. I was wondering why she didn't just have you on full time."

"I had a different job at the time. So you're her granddaughter?"

The woman nodded. "Yep. I help run the register a couple days a week. The pay's decent, and I get to meet all kinds of interesting people."

Rock frowned. "This is a rough part of town. Are you sure you should be working here?"

The woman laughed. "You don't have to worry. The worst I get is the odd drunk or two. But, I do appreciate your concern."

Rock paid for his items and went to leave.

"Come back soon," the woman said.

Rock left the store and went to look at his scroll again. He had no idea who this person was or where to find him. In truth, he hadn't the slightest idea where he would even start. Then an idea came to him. He was looking for a criminal, so maybe the biggest criminal he knew would be a good place to start.

And that was how he wound up at his old boss' club. It was still the middle of the day so it wasn't officially open, but he hoped that Junior would at least be willing to talk to him.

But when he approached the building something made him pause. He saw the shattered and boarded up windows, and noticed the bullet holes in the wooden door. Shaking his head he pushed the doors open and stepped in side, and saw that the club looked like a bomb went off inside. The dance floor had multiple craters in it, the lights were destroyed, and the elaborate speaker setup looked like someone was thrown through it. Standing behind the bar yelling at a henchman was Junior. His right arm was in a cast and his neck was in a brace.

"The fuck happened here?" Rock asked.

"Had a rowdy customer while back, so the club is closed until further notice."

Rock suppressed a laugh. "You let someone whoop your ass like that and they're still breathing? You're slipping, boss."

"Why are you here?" Junior snapped.

Rock pulled out his scroll and showed him the picture of the suspect. "You know this guy?"

"Of course I do. Dwayne Carver, runs the Black Knuckles. They move product for me through the city. Why do you wanna know?"

"I'm looking to arrest him," Rock replied.

Junior snorted. "You working for the cops? I guess that whole turning your life around thing wasn't just talk." The large man pulled out his scroll and pushed a button. Rock's scroll pinged as a message popped up on the screen. "That's his last known address. If you're looking to take him in, don't hold back. I heard he was a Beacon student."

Hearing that made Rock pause. After a moment, he went to leave. "Thanks, boss. You take care."

As Rock was leaving, he thought of whoever had done that to the club. They had to be strong to beat Junior, and Rock couldn't wait to meet them.

But the task at hand came first, and to that end Rock traveled to the address he had been given. He stepped out into the street to flag down a cab. As a car pulled over he opened the door and fell into the back seat.

"Can you take me to this address?" he asked the driver.

The driver nodded and drove off. Rock stared out the window watching the city go by as he went down the highway. He saw the city of Vale disappear into the background as he listened to the rumble of the engine. A short drive later he was near his destination.

Rock could tell that this wasn't Vale. All the buildings he could see were boarded up and covered with graffiti. The streets were filled with garbage and the air smelled like a pungent mix of crack smoke and urine.

He noticed a few people standing on a corner. Each one wore a black bandanna somewhere on their body, and the bulges in their clothes could only be handguns. Rock knew he was in the right place. The only question was how to approach the situation.

Then again, charging straight ahead worked so far.

But as he approached the men, Rock noticed something was wrong. These hard, armed men were jumpy, constantly looking over their shoulder, tightly wound. They were afraid of something. Rock felt a nagging feeling deep in his stomach. Whatever it was that could frighten men like this was something he didn't want anything to do with.

Shaking the feeling off, Rock walked up to the group of men.

"What's brackin?"

One of the men glared at Rock. "The fuck you want?"

"I'm looking for your boy, Dwayne. Know where I can find him?"

The three men all drew their guns. One pressed the barrel against Rock's head.

"Who the fuck are you?" one man barked.

Rock grasped the gun barrel and squeezed until it splintered in his grasp. He turned towards the others. "If you don't put those guns away they're going up your ass. What the hell has got you guys so jumpy?"

The men exchanged a look. After a moment, they put their guns away.

One man wipe the sweat from his face. "Some cocksucker put a hit out on our boss. We thought it was the typical bullshit, some other set or some shit like that. But then this hitter shows up, takes out ten of us like it was nothing."

"This is getting to be a headache. Who is this hitter?"

"Man I don't know. No one's seen the motherfucker and kept breathing. No one even knows what he looks like."

Rock suddenly felt a familiar sinking feeling. Something like this had happened in the past, and it didn't end well that time either.

_Sons of bitches set me up._

The sound of a window breaking shattered his concentration. He looked up and saw someone plummeting from the top floor of the seven story building. Rock recognized him as Dwayne Carver from the file he was sent. The rumors of him being a huntsman seemed to be true, since falling from such a height didn't seem to bother him at all. He sprang to his feet and sprinted down the block.

"God dammit," Rock complained, running after him.

Rock could tell that the man he was chasing was a Hunter, the man was fast and wasn't slowing down no matter how hard he ran. The man weaved through the crowds and traffic without missing a beat, disappearing into an alleyway on the other side of the street. Rock followed, and the two found themselves in an alley blocked off by a high concrete wall. The man tried to jump over, but Rock grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him back down.

The man kicked up at Rock and struck him square on the chin. Scrambling to his feet, his fists flew wildly at Rock.

Rock blinked. The man's fists were so light, and so slow. Compared to everyone else he'd fought, it was like getting hit by a child. There was no way this person was a Huntsman.

One punch was all Rock needed to shatter Dwayne's aura. He went limp as all strength left his body.

"Ready to calm the fuck down?" Rock said.

"What do you want?" Dwayne shouted.

"I wanna take your stupid ass to jail. Must be outta your fuckin' mind making me chase you all this way."

"Wait, you're not with him?"

Rock raised an eyebrow. "You mean the guy trying to kill you? No, I'm not. I can't imagine why a nice guy like you would have a contract out on him. Make any new enemies lately?"

"Shit no. my whole crew's been laying low since that Torchwick cat rolled in. Then one day one of my guys rolls up to the spot talking about there's ten racks on my head. Next thing I know this hitter shows up. He took out half my crew in a month, then today he comes into my crib looking to kill my ass."

"Well, you can relax now. I'm not some hit man, I'm a Huntsman student. You might as well come with me, if someone's really out to kill you then jail is the safest place there is."

A shadow fell across the alley. Rock felt a chill and turned to see what had caused it. It was just a man, but looking at him made Rock feel the kind of fear that he hadn't felt since he was a child.

Rock's mind raced. His eyes pored over every detail about this man, trying to take up as much information as he could. He saw his long, white hair, his large, muscular arms and legs, his lack of shoes, the blood spattered over his clothes and dripping from his hands. Then there were his eyes. There was something wrong with them. They shone with an unnatural light.

The unknown man took a step forward. The shackles around his wrists and ankles clinked as he walked.

Rock threw the first punch. It was a desperate strike thrown with everything he had. The man caught the blow in his hand. He let Rock's fist go, and then he just waited. He observed Rock, wanting to see what he would do next. Rock attacked again and again, but all of it was swatted aside like he was moving in slow motion. The man's vacant expression never changed once.

The man stepped in and held his fist an inch from Rock's chest. When he spoke, it was with a voice that sounded like an open grave.

"You fail."

The next blow was so fast that Rock didn't even see it. He felt the crushing impact, and then everything went black.

XxX

Rock heard the sounds of a heart monitor, along with the steady hiss of a breathing machine. He opened his eyes and saw the familiar white walls of Beacon's infirmary.

He tried to say something but felt a sharp pain in his chest.

"I wouldn't try talking yet, you got wrecked," he heard Giallo say.

Rock saw his teammates sitting around his bed. It took him a few moments to remember what had happened, and when he did he felt a chill go through his body.

"How in the world are you alive?" Lucia asked.

"Gee, thanks for the concern. Dick."

Giallo shook his head. "No, he has a point. The doctors said it looked like you got hit by a bus. What the hell happened?"

"Well, I found who I was looking for. Problem was someone else did too. That punch, it was like a bomb. I've never felt anything like it before. I gotta find out who that guy is."

"Alright," Giallo replied. "You've got a few broken ribs so you're gonna be spending the night in here. Make sure you rest up."

Rock laid back in his bed. "Fine by me. I'm gonna see if I can get a nurse to give me a sponge bath."

Giallo chuckled. "Whatever, man. I'm gonna go back to the dorm. Let me know if you need anything."

Alone in the room, Rock played back the day's events in his mind. He tried to visualize the attack that hit him. The way the man moved, it was clear he was a master. He picked the best attack for the situation and put Rock down with maximum efficiency.

That last punch was a work of art. It was like something out of a comic book.

The words the man had said echoed in his mind. The man was just testing him, and Rock failed.

Rock found himself awash in an unfamiliar emotion. Something had changed within him. This loss only motivated him. He hungered for a chance to fight that man again, when he was strong enough to defeat him.

XxX

What set Cotton off was how quiet everything was. There were no ringing phones, no clacking keys, no people talking, nothing at all. It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. But that wasn't what had him on edge at the moment, it was the man sitting on the other side of his desk.

Ozpin's face was a blank, his hands wrapped around the handle of his cane. He looked completely relaxed even as his power radiated from his body.

Cotton had heard rumors of Ozpin's exploits as a Huntsman, but looking at the man now he knew for certain that they were all true. He didn't need to brag or boast about his strength, it spoke for itself.

"So," Ozpin began, "might I ask what you were thinking? Did you think I wouldn't find out what you had done?"

Cotton felt needles in the back of his neck. "I was thinking I had ten murders to solve and I needed to break this case. I know you Academy people have more important things to worry about, but us regular folks live here too."

The barb was immature, he knew, but his frustration had gnawed away at his better judgment. He was expecting a bit of blowback, but he hadn't expected this to explode in his face so badly. Whoever the killer was, they had found who they were looking for. They also found six other people, including three women who were wholly unrelated to the target. The apartment where they found the bodies looked like a Grimm attack. Blood and body parts were scattered all over. Then there was what happened to Carver. The people on the scene said it looked like he'd been torn in half. The thought that a human could do that to another human shook him to the core.

Ozpin ignored the taunt. "I see. Well, luckily for you the case broke in your favor."

Cotton grinned. "Yeah, he's one of yours, which makes it not my problem anymore."

Ozpin nodded. "Indeed, the apprehension of rogue hunters does fall within the purview of the Association, but there is another matter that we must address. You used a student of mine as bait. He could have been killed, in fact he very nearly lost his life today."

"I thought you hunters trained for that."

"We Huntsmen are always prepared to die, but we do it knowing that our sacrifice will not be in vain. But, did Rock even know about this other assailant? Did you send knowingly send him into the jaws of death just to further your own ends with him none the wiser?"

Ozpin was quiet for a moment. "I would be within my rights to have you brought before a court, but I will relent. I wouldn't want it to appear as though the Association is interfering with the police. However, in the future, if for whatever reason you think to use one of my students as an asset in your investigation, I would strongly advise you to reconsider."

XxX

It took quite a bit of assurance for the nurse to let Rock leave the infirmary, but once he was out he immediately went to the training field to continue his practicing. He tried to remember everything he learned at the dojo. The proper stance, proper footwork, everything had to be second nature. He attacked and attacked until it felt right, combining the basics of what he had learned with the foundation he had built up over his life.

"So that's how you do it," he said to himself.

He felt his aura flowing through his body. He imagined guiding it along his fist and letting it go. With his next punch, a wave of red energy escaped from his fist.

Rock tentatively flexed his fingers. The pain was gone. He attacked again and again, losing himself in the bliss of discovering a new technique. Unfortunately he was so excited that he didn't notice how quickly he was depleting his aura. He suddenly didn't even have enough energy to keep standing. He fell to the floor in a pool of sweat. He started to laugh.

"It is good to see you in high spirits," Alder said.

Rock looked up and saw the elderly professor looking down at him with a slight grin. It was the most expressive Rock had ever seen the old man.

"Hey, gramps. You don't have any teacher stuff to do?"

"I heard about your mishap in the city, but it seems my concern was unwarranted. It would take quite a bit to fell you, I imagine."

"Yeah, I'm used to getting beat up."

Rock got back up and resumed his fight against the air. With every second that passed moving got easier. He could feel the lesson Nigel tried to teach him imprinting itself onto his body. The difference between how he fought before and now was like night and day. It was a miracle he lasted so long fighting like he did in the past.

"You've certainly improved," Alder remarked. "Why do you wish to become stronger?"

"So I can kill my mom," Rock replied casually.

"Is that the only reason?"

"Do I need a real reason?"

"I suppose not. I will leave you to your training. Make sure to go to bed on time, I expect to see you in class tomorrow morning."

"See ya, gramps. Oh yeah, I wanted to ask you something. The guy who ran the Black Knuckles, I heard he was a Beacon student. Is that true?"

Alder thought for a moment. "Yes, I do recall such a student. He was at the bottom of his class, and dropped out before the end of his first year."

XxX

Sitting alone in his office, Ozpin looked over the file the coroner's office sent him. While the crime had made the news, very few people knew the details. If word had gotten out that an assassin with Huntsman's training was loose in Vale, the fallout would be unprecedented. On top of that, the state of the murders were also covered up. Most people wouldn't believe that a human being was capable of doing what the killer had done to another human being. Just looking at the preliminary report turned Ozpin's stomach.

_Male A: blood loss due to severed carotid artery_

_Male B: suffocation. Jawbone protruded into windpipe_

_Male C: traumatic cranial injury_

_Female A: lungs perforated by broken ribs _

_Female B: blood loss due to severed limbs_

_Male D: blood loss due to impalement _

_Male E: protrusion of nasal bone into brain cavity _

_Male F: Decapitation_

_Male G: blood loss due to severing of arm_

_Male H: suffocation due to broken neck_

_Male I :crushed rib-cage_

Ozpin closed the file and put his scroll away. He placed his head in his hands and let out a sigh.

"Gin, what happened to you?"

* * *

**AN: hey, sorry for the wait. With this, Rock and Gin have encountered each other for the first time. It certainly won't be the last. Their rivalry is a big part of what inspired me to write this fic, and I can't wait to show it to you.**

**If you enjoyed the chapter feel free to drop a review, or don't it's whatever.**


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